3. Declan - Product Lead @ Linea

Welcome to product3 - exploring web3 product development through the eyes of its builders.

Meet Declan (@DeclanFox14), the product lead of Linea and a seasoned PM who has been building blockchain solutions since 2019. Declan has been the main product catalyst of Linea since its inception and

In about 800 words, he shares:

• How is product management different in web3

• How do web3 specifics factor into product strategy and decision-making

• What’s currently shaping the future of web3

• Advice for his younger self

How is product management different in web3 compared to web2 based on your experience?

In web2, being a customer of your own product or a domain expert is often just a bonus: product management is viewed as a flexible discipline that can apply to just about any industry. In web3, it’s an entirely different story. The best product managers I’ve met in web3 are truly crypto-native: they understand not only the underlying tech and tokenomics, but also the cultural nuances and meme-driven behavior that fuel adoption. They know precisely why some protocols soar while others flop, especially when tokens come into play. That said, the core principle of solving genuine user problems remains consistent with web2 best practices. Great product managers still live and die by their user focus.

Unfortunately, many web3 projects put too much stock in engineering flash and high-level research—resulting in a “solution in search of a problem.” These projects rarely reach product-market fit and often vanish as quickly as they appear.

Bottom line: in web3, domain insight is table stakes. You need to know the culture, the technology, and the token dynamics inside and out. But if you’re not solving real user needs, no amount of hype or “feel-good marketing” will rescue your project in the long run.

How do considerations around governance, tokenomics, and community involvement factor into your product strategy and decision-making process?

In web3, governance is more than just a checkbox—it's the backbone of how you build and iterate. Because so many stakeholders have a say in shaping the product, you need to operate transparently from day one. That means public roadmaps, real-time community feedback, and open discussions about trade-offs. The more people understand your decision-making process, the more trust you build. Think of it as “crowdsourced stewardship”: you’re not just shipping software; you’re managing a living ecosystem with diverse—and sometimes conflicting—interests. Tokenomics affects virtually every move you make. A single feature release or adjustment can shift the market’s perception of your token’s value and affect the project’s long-term viability.

Token prices often lead market narratives, and a rising token can create a “wealth effect” that supercharges engagement—just look at Solana’s recent BONK frenzy. That meme-driven windfall injected fresh capital and attention into the Solana ecosystem, proving how quickly token momentum can turn into broader product momentum.

Most web3 products are open source, which fundamentally changes the development playbook. In web2, you’re typically guarded by proprietary code and top-down decision-making, but in web3, you’re orchestrating a community of contributors—often with wildly different priorities. It can feel like herding cats, especially for projects at Ethereum’s scale, where shipping velocity can stall under the weight of decentralized decision-making. However, the payoff is a truly collaborative development process that can deliver innovations more resilient and community-driven than anything a single company could manage behind closed doors.

In your opinion, what are the most exciting or influential trends currently shaping the future of web3?

Honestly, the most exciting shift I’m seeing in web3 right now revolves around zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs. It’s amazing how quickly this technology has matured: you can verify a computation’s correctness without exposing the underlying data, which opens the door to high throughput and robust security. Linea, for instance, adopted ZK early on, and it’s already paying off because the cost and latency to generate proofs keep dropping by orders of magnitude. I wouldn’t be surprised if ZK ends up being a default part of practically every major web3 app in the next couple of years.

Another trend that’s really grabbing my attention is the emergence of web3 identity solutions and verifiable credentials. Instead of disclosing all your personal data to prove you’re eligible for something, you can provide exactly the credentials needed—no more, no less. It’s a game-changer for user privacy and personalization. Imagine loyalty programs or reputation-based rewards where you only share the specific traits or achievements that matter, rather than every piece of personal information. That’s a huge departure from the typical Web2 approach, and it puts a lot more power in the hands of individual users.

Finally, I’m seeing a massive wave of innovation around stablecoins and on-chain payments. These mechanisms make global, near-instant, low-fee transactions a reality for anyone with a smartphone. We’re even witnessing neobank-style services built on Linea and connected directly to MetaMask, giving users new ways to save, lend, borrow—you name it—without going through a traditional intermediary. And when you look at how local stablecoins and simpler on-ramps are evolving, it’s easy to see the potential for web3 to challenge established fintech in a very real way. With Linea’s fast settlement and security, plus the distribution power of Consensys and MetaMask, there’s a clear path toward mainstream adoption of decentralized finance and payments.

What would you advise your younger self?

I’d give my younger self three key pieces of advice. First, write more—it’s one of the best ways to sharpen your thinking and uncover what you really know versus what you just think you know. Second, stop overthinking and start doing. You’ll learn so much faster by experimenting, building, and occasionally failing than you ever will by planning endlessly in your head. And finally, buy Bitcoin.

If you’ve enjoyed this micro interview, share it with fellow web3 product people and give Declan a follow on X (@DeclanFox14).

Have someone in mind who you’d like to see share their insights? Give me a shout!

See you in the next edition!