Kaito sunsets Yaps, pivots to Kaito Studio after X clamps down on post-to-earn models

Kaito has officially announced the shutdown of Yaps and its incentivized leaderboards, marking a strategic pivot toward a new product called Kaito Studio, as the InfoFi sector undergoes a major reset following platform and market changes.The move comes after prolonged challenges around spam, content quality, and shifting platform dynamics on X, as well as a broader industry shift away from mass airdrops and open-ended incentive schemes.Why Kaito is sunsetting YapsYaps was designed as a permissionless, merit-based reward system that paid users and creators for amplifying brands across social platforms. According to Kaito, it reflected core Web3 values: open access, transparency, and rewards based on contribution rather than connections.However, despite multiple iterations — including:tighter eligibility ruleshigher leaderboard thresholdssocial and on-chain filteringredesigned incentivesKaito said low-quality content and spam persisted, driven by:X algorithm changesuneven standards across competing InfoFi projectsthe rise of zero-threshold reward modelsAfter discussions with X, Kaito concluded that fully permissionless reward distribution is no longer viable, either for the platform, serious creators, or high-quality brands.From airdrops to analytics: what is Kaito Studio?Kaito Studio represents a fundamental shift in strategy.Instead of open incentives, Studio will operate closer to a tier-based, selective creator marketplace, where:brands work with vetted creatorscampaigns have defined scopes and deliverablesrewards are driven by relevance, performance, and analyticsKey features of Kaito Studio include:Best-in-class analyticsCross-platform reach (X, YouTube, TikTok, and more)Cross-vertical expansion beyond crypto into finance, AI, and other industriesKaito says this model will benefit high-quality creators far more than open leaderboards, rewarding relevance and consistency rather than volume.Crypto sentiment shift behind the decisionKaito noted that over the past year, both teams and creators have moved away from:global, high-volume distributionmass airdropspurely engagement-driven incentivesToward:targeted campaignshigher-quality creator partnershipsmeasurable ROIThis mirrors a broader industry trend as crypto matures and integrates more deeply into traditional finance, payments, tokenization, and capital markets.Beyond Crypto Twitter and beyond cryptoKaito emphasized that this transition is not just about product changes, but about long-term vision.The company believes:the original “ownership economy” vision did not materialize as expectedcrypto’s largest opportunity now lies in becoming infrastructure, not just cultureAreas highlighted include:stablecoins and paymentstokenization and privacyperpetuals and global capital marketsprediction marketsAs a result, 2026 will be the year Kaito expands beyond Crypto Twitter (CT) as its core platform and beyond crypto as its sole vertical, targeting the broader creator economy — a market Kaito estimates at over $200 billion.What stays the sameKaito confirmed that the transition:does not affect Kaito Pro, Kaito API, Kaito Launchpad, or the upcoming Kaito Marketswill involve coordination with existing partner projects over the coming dayskeeps $KAITO integrated into the ecosystem, with more details on its role in Kaito Studio to be announced later.