What happened?
Crypto salaries and token incentives dropped across almost every role and region in 2024 and early 2025 even though Bitcoin was rallying. Entry-level positions took the biggest hit while founders and executives saw meaningful pay increases, creating a “barbell” effect. Hiring mostly stayed stable or grew, led by engineering, and companies moved heavily to remote and international hiring, especially in Asia.
Who does this affect?
Junior and mid-level employees are the most affected by lower base pay and smaller token packages, while founders and executives benefited from higher salaries and token stakes. Specialized engineers and crypto experts remain in high demand and still command premium pay, so the pain isn’t uniform across roles. Companies recruiting globally—particularly those expanding in Asia, Western Europe, and Eastern Europe—face different retention and recruiting pressures as remote-first hiring becomes the norm.
Why does this matter?
Widespread compensation pullbacks could make it harder for crypto startups to attract and retain talent, slowing product development and innovation. Concentrating gains at the top risks hurting morale and increasing churn among junior staff, which raises hiring and onboarding costs for companies. The geographic shift and remote hiring trends will reshape where talent is concentrated, influence salary benchmarks, and ultimately affect costs, growth plans, and investor sentiment across the market.