Storj has repeatedly communicated that the previous payout changes were made to reach a sustainable long-term model and that no further reductions were expected.
In the official announcement about the December 1, 2023 payout changes, Storj explicitly wrote that they “do not anticipate further payout rate adjustments for the foreseeable future” – see:
In the earlier “Update on Storage node payouts” they stated that the goal was to “achieve the dual goals of Storj’s long-term sustainability and that running a storage node can remain profitable in many locations.”
And in the “Update proposal for Storage Node Operators” they again framed these changes as part of making Storj “sustainable long term” without just endlessly pushing SNO payments down.
If, after all of that, payouts are cut again, it will understandably feel like a betrayal of the community. You can’t tell node operators that the last reductions were necessary to secure long-term sustainability and then keep coming back for more.
On top of that, it would be a kind of marketing self-destruction. Storj itself has written that simple word-of-mouth from the community was enough to activate over 100 PB of supply in just a few weeks on the earlier network – see:
That “marketing engine” is the SNO community. Many of us actively promote Storj, answer questions, make tools and dashboards, write guides, and recommend the service. If Storj keeps moving the goalposts and cutting operator payouts again, you don’t just risk nodes going offline — you poison that word-of-mouth and turn your strongest advocates into critics.
Cutting SNO payments again would not just be a financial adjustment; it would be breaking trust with exactly the people who keep the network running and who already do a huge amount of unpaid marketing for Storj.