Midnight, the privacy-focused blockchain ecosystem associated with Cardano, is winding down its dedicated Developer Relations (DevRel) team as it reshapes how it attracts and supports builders.
In a recent announcement, the Foundation said the move forms part of a broader strategy to expand who can build on Cardano’s privacy sidechain, Midnight, beyond traditional software developers.
Midnight Targets a Broader Group of Builders #
Traditionally, the crypto industry has defined a builder as someone who can write and deploy code. However, Midnight argues that artificial intelligence is changing this model by reducing the technical barriers to turning ideas into functional software.
As a result, people with product ideas, industry expertise, and entrepreneurial experience can create applications without advanced programming skills.
Midnight highlighted the growth of AI-powered development platform Replit as evidence of this shift. Replit now has more than 60 million users worldwide, demonstrating how quickly the pool of people capable of building applications, websites, and products is expanding.
According to Midnight, this growing pool of builders presents a significant opportunity for its ecosystem.
Midnight Shifts Focus to AI-Native Tools #
Rather than focusing solely on helping developers build privacy-preserving applications, Midnight now wants to make its ecosystem accessible to a much broader group of potential builders.
To achieve this, the project plans to prioritize AI-native tools, simpler pathways into the ecosystem, and programs that support builders from the initial idea through deployment.
Midnight said this strategy builds on initiatives already underway, including Build Club and Night Sky. The project also highlighted an important distinction between developers and builders. While a developer may start by asking what they can build, a builder may begin by asking what problem they can solve. Therefore, Midnight wants its ecosystem to support both approaches.
Midnight acknowledged that the tools and workflows required for this new model are still evolving. Consequently, the project will initially work with a focused group of builders to test the approach, determine what works, and improve the experience before expanding it further.
Midnight Rejects Claims of Favoring AI Over Developers #
Meanwhile, the development has sparked debate within the Cardano community, with some critics arguing that the Midnight Foundation is prioritizing AI at the expense of developers.
However, the foundation rejected this interpretation, stressing that its new strategy does not replace developers but instead expands the audience it aims to serve.
Under the new model, Midnight expects its builder community to include developers, founders, operators, designers, and domain experts who can leverage AI and other tools to turn ideas into functional products.