The "Free Money" Trap

I bought the dashcam. I admit it.

$300 for a glorified GoPro that straps to my windshield. The promise? "Drive your car. Earn tokens. Get rich."

It sounds perfect. Passive income. The holy grail of the lazy technocrat.

But here’s the kicker:

After 3 months of driving around my city like a paranoid Google Street View car, I did the math. And the math is ugly.

What is DePIN?

Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks.

It's a fancy word for "crowdsourcing hardware."

• Hivemapper: You map the roads.
• Helium: You provide the wifi.
• Render: You rent out your GPU.

Instead of cash, they pay you in "Tokens." And that is where the slide gets slippery.

Calculate Your Pain

Is it worth it? Or are you just depreciating your car for digital dust?

I built this calculator so you don't have to learn Excel.

The "Ponzi" Question

Let’s get real.

Is DePIN a scam? No. Is it a sustainable business model for you? Rarely.

These networks need critical mass. To get that, they incentivize early adopters with high rewards.

But once the network is built? The rewards drop. It's called "The Halving" (or just "The Rug," depending on who you ask).

If you are late to the party, you are the exit liquidity.

Should You Join?

Conclusion

DePIN is cool technology. I love the idea of sticking it to Google Maps.

But treat it like a game, not a job. Buy the gadget because you like the gadget. If it buys you a pizza once a month, you won.

If you're expecting a Lambo?

Game Over.