Pi Network recently marked a significant milestone: the first anniversary of its Open Network launch. To celebrate, the project’s two co-founders answered a set of questions from users. They shared more about Pi’s plans, how the project is working today, and the path they hope to follow in the future.
KYC and More
Chengdiao Fan and Nicolas Kokkalis, the founders, began by praising the progress Pi has made. They pointed to advances in how the app works, new features added to the platform, and practical uses that have appeared over the last year. Fan said that in the next 12 months, the team will try to grow Pi by creating more opportunities for users to participate and benefit from the system.
The first big question they answered asked what makes Pi Network different from other blockchains, and why does real-world usefulness matter. Fan described Pi as a nonconformist project. In plain language, this means Pi tries to do things differently from some other crypto projects. She highlighted several key points about Pi:
• Pi has never run an Initial coin offering (ICO). An ICO is a way for a new crypto project to raise money by selling its own tokens. Pi’s team has focused on different ways to grow and use Pi rather than selling tokens through an ICO.
• Pi is built with a Web3 mindset. Web3 is a new idea for the internet that uses blockchain technology and aims to give people more control over their online data and money.
• Pi is designed for a mobile-first experience. This means Pi focuses on people using it on phones, not just on computers.
• The project is free to mine. Mining is the process of creating new coins by helping run the network. If you mine Pi, you don’t pay money to do it; you earn Pi instead.
Fan also noted that Pi already has tens of millions of verified users around the world. Verifying users helps the project know who is who on the network, which is a big part of making the system trustworthy.
Fan explained Pi’s focus on real-world utility. This means Pi wants its tokens to be used for real economic activity, not just to exist as a speculative asset. In her view, having a fully Know Your Customer (KYC) verified user base is a key part of supporting real-world uses and creating meaningful value across the Pi ecosystem. KYC, described further below, is the process of confirming a person’s identity to reduce fraud and ensure the system can be trusted.
What is the network working on now?
Nicolas Kokkalis took the next question. He said that KYC and migration remain top priorities. KYC is the system that verifies who users are, which helps the network grow safely and reliably. Migration refers to moving users or data from one part of the network to another, often to upgrade or improve how the system works.
He added that the team is increasing how fast KYC can process. This helps unblock more users, speeds up the system, and allows more than one migration to happen when needed. He also mentioned plans to roll out KYC validator rewards in the current quarter in a secure and scalable way. A validator is a participant who helps confirm transactions and maintain the network’s safety. Rewards are a way to thank those participants for helping run Pi’s system well.
Kokkalis also talked about helping developers. The team is working to make building on Pi easier. They are improving tools and making it simpler to connect apps and services to Pi. They mentioned new tools such as faster Pi payment setups and ongoing support to help developers launch and grow real utilities on the platform.
Beyond these improvements, the team will continue working on technical parts of the network, including Nodes, protocol upgrades, and components like DEX functionality and liquidity pools.
Why is KYC important and what comes next?
Kokkalis said the Pi team has spent years building its KYC solution because Pi Pioneer users are spread all over the world. They needed a system that could cover many countries and be scalable as the network grows. He said this heavy investment in identity verification is deliberate. It helps ensure the integrity and authenticity of the entire Pi network. Looking ahead, the team plans to offer its KYC technology as a service to external projects. In other words, Pi’s identity verification system could be used by other Web3 projects or even traditional businesses that want to verify who their customers are.
PI Tokens and AI
An important question was what Pi ecosystem tokens actually are. Fan explained that these are coins created by the Pi community and issued on Pi. She noted that
• The ecosystem tokens have already been released on the Testnet, which is a testing version of the network. They are now being prepared for use on the Mainnet, the real, live network where transactions happen. Fan said that while technology and product work are important, the most critical factor on Mainnet will be how these tokens are designed and used.
Fan described issuing tokens as an important superpower of Web3. This means it can be a powerful tool for creating real value if used well. She also warned that many crypto coins today are created without many real-world uses, so Pi wants to focus on meaningful use cases for its community tokens.
The topic of artificial intelligence (AI) came up next. Fan explained that AI is changing how value is created in the world of technology. In simple terms, AI helps computers learn from data and make smart decisions. Because of this, Pi’s plan is to build AI-powered apps that work with Pi apps and tools, rather than just hoping for value to appear from speculation. Pi aims to use tools like Pi App Studio to create useful apps that combine Pi with AI technology.
Are Pioneers Satisfied?
In the comments to Pi Network’s anniversary post, many users shared mixed feelings. Some Pioneers said they have been waiting a long time to finish verification steps and migrate to the Mainnet — sometimes for five or six years — and they still have not completed those steps. Others were more critical, calling Pi Network a scam or dirty project. These kinds of comments show that, even as the project talks about big plans, some community members feel frustrated by slow progress and unanswered questions.
The original post about the founders’ questions and answers appeared on CryptoPotato, a crypto news site. It covered what the Pi team said and how some people in the Pi community reacted to those statements. The exchange between the team and users highlights how large projects like Pi try to balance ambitious plans with the everyday experience of their community members.
Key ideas explained for new readers
- KYC — Know Your Customer. This is a set of rules used by financial services to verify a person’s identity, assess risk, and ensure safety. It helps prevent fraud and illegal activity. For a quick read, see Know Your Customer.
- ICO — Initial Coin Offering. It is a way for a new crypto project to raise money by selling its own tokens. For more, see Initial Coin Offering.
- AI — Artificial intelligence. It means computers learning to perform tasks that usually require human thinking. For a basic overview, see Artificial intelligence.
- Web3 — A new idea for the internet that uses blockchain technology, crypto tokens, and privacy tools to give people more control over their online lives. For more, see Web3.
- DeFi — Decentralized finance. It means financial services built with smart contracts on a blockchain, designed to run without traditional middlemen like banks. For more, see Decentralized finance.
The Pi team’s questions-and-answers approach shows their effort to be open about plans, even as they pursue big technical goals. They want to move from talk to action by expanding who can use Pi, making verification faster, and creating real tools that people can use in daily life. At the same time, they face questions from a community that includes both hopeful supporters and those who worry about the pace of progress. Only time will tell how these plans unfold and whether Pi can deliver on its vision of a useful, widely adopted cryptocurrency platform.
Note: The information above is based on a review of Pi Network’s anniversary post and related discussions. It reflects what the founders said and how some community members reacted at that time.
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