Scale or Die at Accelerate 2025: Welcome to Scale or Die

Solana's ecosystem takes a giant leap forward with the introduction of Scale or Die, a groundbreaking technical conference designed to bring together the brightest minds in blockchain development.

Summary

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Scale or Die is a new technical-focused conference introduced by the Solana Foundation as part of Accelerate 2025 in New York City. The event aims to provide a platform for deep technical discussions among Solana developers, filling the gap left by the sunset of hacker houses. Solomon, a product and engineering professional at the Solana Foundation, introduced the conference, emphasizing its developer-first approach and application-only attendance policy.

The conference is designed to foster direct, focused conversations about the latest changes in the Solana ecosystem. It serves as a midpoint between Breakpoint conferences, maintaining momentum and ensuring developers have regular opportunities to connect and collaborate. Scale or Die also aims to encourage developers to share their work more openly, both at the event and on social media platforms.

The two-day event features a mix of podium-style talks, fireside chats, and hands-on developer workshops. It's part of a larger week of events, including Shipper Die, which focuses on policy, marketing, and finance. The organizers have created a dedicated space called DevCape for networking and relationship building among attendees.

Key Points:

Developer-Focused Conference

Scale or Die is explicitly designed as a technical-first, application-only conference. This approach aims to remove distractions from sales and marketing, ensuring that conversations remain focused on development and technical aspects of the Solana ecosystem. The event provides a unique opportunity for developers to engage in deep, meaningful discussions about their work and the latest advancements in Solana technology.

By creating this dedicated space for technical conversations, the Solana Foundation is fostering an environment where innovation can thrive. Developers can share ideas, challenges, and solutions without the noise often present at larger, more general blockchain events. This focused approach is likely to lead to more rapid advancements and collaborations within the Solana ecosystem.

Bridging the Gap Between Major Events

One of the primary motivations behind Scale or Die is to provide a midpoint between the larger Breakpoint conferences. This addresses a crucial need in the fast-paced world of blockchain development, where significant changes can occur in short periods. By offering this intermediate event, the Solana Foundation ensures that developers have regular opportunities to stay updated, share progress, and maintain momentum in their projects.

This strategy of more frequent, focused events could significantly accelerate the pace of development and adoption within the Solana ecosystem. It allows for more timely discussions of new features, challenges, and opportunities, potentially leading to faster problem-solving and innovation cycles.

Encouraging Developer Communication

Solomon emphasized the importance of developers actively sharing their work, both at the conference and on social media platforms like Twitter. This push for increased communication aims to improve visibility for projects and foster a more connected, collaborative ecosystem. By encouraging developers to market themselves and their work, Scale or Die seeks to create a more vibrant, engaged community of Solana builders.

This focus on communication could lead to increased awareness of various projects within the ecosystem, potentially attracting more developers, users, and investors to the Solana platform. It may also help in identifying synergies between different projects, leading to more collaborative efforts and innovative solutions.

Hands-On Learning Opportunities

Scale or Die features dedicated workshop rooms where teams from various projects and protocols offer hands-on developer workshops. This practical approach allows attendees to gain direct experience with new tools, protocols, and infrastructure. Teams like D3, Codeigo, Sertora, and Zeus are among those offering these interactive sessions, providing valuable learning opportunities for developers at all levels.

These workshops represent a significant value-add for attendees, offering them the chance to not only learn about new developments but also to gain practical experience implementing them. This hands-on approach could lead to faster adoption of new technologies and methodologies within the Solana ecosystem, ultimately accelerating the platform's growth and capabilities.

Facts + Figures

• Scale or Die is part of Accelerate 2025, taking place in New York City
• The conference is application-only and focused on technical discussions
• Event venue opens at 9 am and closes at 7 pm
• Programming content runs from 10 am to 5 pm
• Workshop rooms are available for hands-on developer experiences
• DevCape is a dedicated space for networking and relationship building
• Scale or Die is a two-day event, followed by a day of community events around New York City
• Shipper Die, focusing on policy, marketing, and finance, follows Scale or Die
• The event is inspired by Block Zero and DeFi Day, which preceded previous Breakpoint conferences
• Teams offering workshops include D3, Codeigo, Sertora, and Zeus

Top quotes

1. "We've never really had room for deep technical discussion besides hacker houses. And now that hacker houses are sunset, we want to make sure that we have the room and the space that have the best and brightest minds in this line of ecosystem together here to talk shop, talk it out, give feedback, receive feedback, and really get a better understanding of the latest changes in the ecosystem."
2. "You all don't talk enough on Twitter or on X, right? You really need to continuously market yourselves and share what you're actually working on."
3. "This event really exists because of Block Zero and DeFi Day. Historically, when you talk to developers, the day or two before break point is usually the most advantageous to them because they have a developer-only or developer-first chunk of programming that they can really get involved in."

Questions Answered

What is Scale or Die?

Scale or Die is a new technical-focused conference introduced by the Solana Foundation as part of Accelerate 2025 in New York City. It's designed to provide a platform for deep technical discussions among Solana developers, filling the gap left by the sunset of hacker houses. The conference aims to foster direct, focused conversations about the latest changes in the Solana ecosystem and serves as a midpoint between larger Breakpoint conferences.

Why was Scale or Die created?

Scale or Die was created to address the need for more frequent, focused technical discussions within the Solana ecosystem. With the sunset of hacker houses and the long gaps between Breakpoint conferences, there was a need for a dedicated space where developers could come together to share ideas, give and receive feedback, and stay updated on the latest changes. The conference also aims to encourage developers to share their work more openly and build lasting relationships within the community.

Who can attend Scale or Die?

Scale or Die is an application-only conference, primarily aimed at developers and technical professionals working within the Solana ecosystem. This selective approach ensures that attendees are those who can contribute to and benefit from deep technical discussions. By focusing on developers, the conference aims to remove distractions from sales and marketing, keeping conversations centered on technical aspects and development challenges.

What kinds of activities are available at Scale or Die?

Scale or Die offers a variety of activities for attendees. The main program consists of podium-style talks and fireside chats focusing on technical topics. Additionally, there are workshop rooms where teams like D3, Codeigo, Sertora, and Zeus offer hands-on developer workshops. These sessions provide practical experience with new tools, protocols, and infrastructure. The conference also features a dedicated networking space called DevCape, where attendees can build relationships and exchange contact information.

How does Scale or Die fit into the larger Solana event calendar?

Scale or Die is part of a week-long series of events in New York City. It begins with two days of Scale or Die, followed by a day of community events around the city. The week concludes with Shipper Die, a two-day event focusing on policy, marketing, and finance. This structure allows for a comprehensive coverage of various aspects of the Solana ecosystem, from deep technical discussions to broader industry topics.