How a COVID Lockdown in China Led to Taiko: An “Unstoppable” Technology
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, China shut down one of its largest cities—Shanghai—for two whole months. While the lockdown aimed to control the virus, the government also cracked down on anyone who spoke out against its strict zero-COVID policies. This extreme censorship ended up inspiring Daniel Wang, the co-founder of Taiko Labs, to create a breakthrough technology called an “Ethereum-based rollup.”
Let’s take a closer look at how this all happened.
The Spark Behind Taiko
Daniel Wang lived in Shanghai during the intense lockdown, stuck in his small apartment for almost three months. “I didn’t even leave my apartment once,” he remembers.
Wang wanted to share his thoughts, but in China, many forms of speech are censored. “I felt like I needed to say something, but it wasn’t allowed,” he explained. That’s when Wang got an idea: Why not create a decentralized platform where anyone could say what they wanted without being censored?
“I wanted to build a network that couldn’t be shut down by any government,” Wang said. “It would be unstoppable.”
But creating such a network wasn’t going to be easy. It needed a scaling solution—a way to handle large amounts of data—something that didn’t exist yet at the time.
Why Current Solutions Weren’t Enough
Wang looked into existing solutions, like Optimism’s OP Stack and StarkWare, which are used to scale networks like Ethereum. However, Wang discovered a weakness in these systems—they use signature verifications. This means they can still be controlled or even shut down by governments or powerful groups.
“They might not be stopped by the Chinese government,” Wang explained, “but they could be controlled by others if necessary.”
To truly allow freedom of speech, Wang knew he needed better technology—something that couldn’t be controlled by anyone.
The Creation of Taiko
Determined to find a solution, Wang teamed up with Terence Lam, another co-founder, and set out to create Taiko.
Taiko is a form of Ethereum-based rollup, which is a layer-2 technology built on top of Ethereum. Instead of using its own system to handle processes, Taiko uses validators from Ethereum’s layer 1. Importantly, Taiko doesn’t require signature verifications, making it harder for anyone to shut down.
What makes Taiko special? Wang explains, “The entire goal of Taiko was to remove any central control. We didn’t want any one person or company to be able to stop it.”
Why Taiko is Important
The goal of creating Taiko wasn’t just to become the most-used network. Wang says, “We wanted to prove that it’s possible to build a system that can’t be controlled by any one group.”
He is even open to other developers copying Taiko’s technology and improving it: “I’m happy for others to copy our code as long as they share their improvements with us.”
At the end of the day, Wang believes in improving Ethereum and other systems through collaboration. “If Taiko helps future technologies grow, that’s enough for me,” Wang said. “It’s not about winning; it’s about making strong, free systems that work for everyone.”
The Future of Technology and Freedom
With Taiko, Daniel Wang hopes to create a more open internet, one powered by Ethereum and based rollups. This kind of technology could change the way people share information online, giving people a voice regardless of where they are—and helping everyone work together for a better, freer future.
“We’re stronger together,” Wang says, reflecting on his journey from a locked-down Shanghai apartment to one of the leading thinkers in the world of decentralized technology. “Let’s scale Ethereum the right way.”
Key Takeaways:
- Taiko was inspired by the extreme censorship during China’s COVID lockdown.
- Daniel Wang aimed to create an “unstoppable” social platform where anyone could speak freely.
- Existing technologies like Optimism’s OP Stack weren’t good enough because they still have weak points that could allow them to be controlled.
- Taiko is a special based rollup that uses layer one of Ethereum and doesn’t rely on easily controllable signatures.
- Wang is focused on helping all systems improve together, believing collaboration makes everyone stronger.
Want to Learn More?
The future of decentralized networks, like Taiko, is exciting and keeps evolving. If you’re interested in how technology can protect freedom of speech and make the internet safer for everyone, keep an eye on projects like Taiko pushing the boundaries every day.