# @jacek0x: DEGEN lays off its dev team, plans to build options DEX Yeetr on Base

Source: https://x.com/jacek0x/status/2112878194135372126
Kiwi News: https://news.kiwistand.com/stories/jacek0x-DEGEN-lays-off-its-dev-team-plans-to-build-options-DEX-Yeetr-on-Base?index=0x6ad8e072d79f24ea279e711918d609e8b1283c7158aa82f41435a8c777b77998e5807cfd
Submitted by tim on 2026-10-21 UTC, 2 upvotes, 1 comment

## Summary

DEGEN, a token project on Base, laid off its dev team on Monday, and founder Jacek says he will now build Yeetr, an options DEX on Base, himself. He states that DEGEN has not yet found product-market fit and that speed matters more than headcount at this stage. He also says DEGEN keeps at least 2 years of runway as a standing rule, and that the cuts are discipline rather than trouble. Yeetr is described as Uniswap for options, with no order book or market maker and everything onchain, and he argues it would give holders a reason to keep the DEGEN token rather than pump and dump it.

## Article

On Monday I let our dev team go. It was a tough call.

First, the important part: Tomasz (@ts_tomek) and Marcin (@mlad17_) are fantastic engineers. Tomasz on frontend, Marcin on backend. They did incredible work on POV and I'm grateful for everything they put in. This isn't about them.

If you're hiring, reach out to them directly or DM me. I'll vouch for both. Anyone would be lucky to have either of them.

Now the why.

DEGEN doesn't have a product ready to scale yet. We're still searching for product market fit, and at this stage speed matters more than headcount. You build a team when you've found something that works and need to pour fuel on it. We're not there.

Then there's runway. It's a bear market and I plan ahead. My rule: DEGEN always has at least 2 years of runway. This keeps us well covered. We're in a good spot. This is discipline, not trouble.

So I'm going back to how DEGEN started. Me, in my room, building and iterating at supersonic speed. After launch I got bogged down in process. I've cut almost all of it. I'm in the office every day, coding again, and with AI tools, how fast one person can ship is wild.

What I'm building: http://yeetr.fun

I've been trading options since I was 16. At Credit Suisse I took every derivatives class they offered the traders. I love options, I love WallStreetBets, I love the trenches. This is the product I was meant to build.

Options are one of the best financial instruments out there, but most people never touch them. Too complex for retail, and real options markets need deep liquidity so market makers can hedge. That's why almost nothing outside BTC and ETH has them.

Yeetr is my answer. Think Uniswap for options. No order book, no market maker, all onchain. You earn on your bag and hedge some short term risk, which gives people a reason to hold a token instead of pumping and dumping it.

DEGEN is still a top token on Base with a great community. But community and brand aren't enough. I want to build something that brings value back to holders. If Yeetr takes off, holders win. My biggest bag is DEGEN.

Smaller team, one builder, more shipping. You'll see it on the timeline and in the app.

Everything I build is for the DEGEN community. Thank you for believing in me. Back to work 🎩

## Comments

**misha**: Autumn, leaves are falling