Interviewee: Christian Montoya, Product Manager at MetaMask

Interviewer: bayemon.eth, ChainCatcher

When a fresh newcomer asks "How to participate in the crypto market and take the first step in the Web3 world," most seasoned players would likely suggest registering a wallet as the first step. Obviously, as the origin of all interactions on the chain, Web3 wallets have become one of the main traffic entry points in the Web3 field. According to the crypto data platform RootData, the wallet category currently includes 292 projects. Compared to other entry points in the Web3 field, the development of the wallet sector can be said to have entered a mature stage, showing signs of saturation.

If a newcomer who is dazzled by the 292 wallets asks for recommendations, seasoned players would likely reach a consensus and recommend a yellow fox to the sincere newcomer. Born in 2016, the little fox wallet MetaMask can be said to be at the forefront of the Web3 wallet field. Due to the fact that at that time most people did not realize the importance of wallets as traffic entry points, MetaMask, rooted in the Ethereum ecosystem, did not experience much fierce competition in the early stages of its development. However, under the frenzy of DeFi Summer in 2020, MetaMask's monthly active users grew from 1 million to 21 million in a year. Since then, the "miracle fox" has basically established an almost unshakable position in the wallet field as long as it performs steadily. However, with the broad prospects and ecological status of the wallet field, more and more teams are choosing to build wallets to share the traffic dividend—well-known CEXs such as Binance and OKX have chosen to integrate wallets; Phantom has received investments from a16z and Paradigm, and then expanded from Solana to mainstream networks such as Ethereum and Polygon…

In this 24/7 market that never stops, many people show excitement rather than fear when facing the so-called "absolute position." More and more projects are starting to make efforts to challenge the towering position that MetaMask has built over the years. However, the sharp-witted MetaMask team seems to have anticipated the crises that may arise in this wilderness survival— the team has successively launched features such as Swap and Sell, and in January 2022, it released the developer version MetaMask Flask, with its first feature Snaps open for testing in September this year. The release of Snaps has enabled MetaMask to transition from a simple wallet to a wallet infrastructure that adopts all reasonable innovations, and the cunning fox in the competition's smoke gives a sly smile, directly taking it to the "Next Level."

What is the original intention of MetaMask to promote Snaps, which has always been "to create an open ecosystem and encourage participants to innovate continuously"? What is the significance of Snaps for the overall ecosystem of MetaMask? What are the team's expectations for this unique feature? Faced with what seems to be a declining multi-chain ecosystem, why does MetaMask insist on choosing to be compatible with multiple chains? And how do you view the increasingly fierce competition in the wallet race? This time, ChainCatcher has invited Christian Montoya, the Product Manager of MetaMask, to interpret the deep layout of Snaps, the future of multi-chains, competition and cooperation, and the long-term perspective of the next cycle of the little fox.

MetaMask Snaps Product Manager: Christian Montoya

The Little Fox Appears!

1. ChainCatcher: 2022 is also the sixth year for MetaMask. The related blog mentioned that 2022 is "a year for MetaMask to establish the necessary systems and teams to more comprehensively meet user needs." What do you think is the team's biggest achievement in the past year? What are the industry issues that the team is focusing on?

Christian: In the past year, we have achieved many milestones, including the launch of MetaMask Snaps and the MetaMask Software Development Kit (SDK), which allows developers to expand the functionality of MetaMask and integrate MetaMask anywhere. We have introduced the revolutionary privacy protection security module Blockaid, which is currently in the experimental stage but has been protecting users from potential fraud. We also launched MetaMask Learn, an interactive guide that teaches people the basics of web3. Finally, we continue to increase support for more onramps, swaps, staking, and bridging providers, and have launched the first batch of offramp providers, allowing users to directly sell and cash out cryptocurrencies from MetaMask.

The focus of the MetaMask team's work is to:

1. Expand business beyond the Ethereum ecosystem through Snaps;
2. Support web3 games through the MetaMask SDK;
3. Enable users to access cryptocurrencies in as many regions as possible;
4. Educate everyone to join web3;
5. Ensure user security in web3 through collaboration with Blockaid and transaction insights from Snaps.

Introduction to MetaMask Snaps

2. ChainCatcher: Please briefly introduce the main functions and development progress of MetaMask Snaps.

Christian: Snaps currently offers 6 main functions:

1. Interoperability with blockchain protocols outside of Ethereum (such as Bitcoin, Solana, and Cosmos);
2. Issuing notifications directly within the MetaMask wallet;
3. Secure insights into transactions within the transaction flow;
4. Support for privacy protocols;
5. Decentralized identity management;
6. Seamless authentication with dapps.

The Snaps platform released an open test version to MetaMask on September 12, 2023. Currently, we are working to improve the user experience and develop new application programming interface (API) features that will expand the potential of Snaps for users.

3. ChainCatcher: MetaMask's vision has always been "to create an open ecosystem and encourage participants to innovate continuously." What were the initial factors that drove MetaMask to launch Snaps, and what is the significance of this feature for the overall MetaMask ecosystem? What is your long-term vision for this feature?

Christian: Snaps is inspired by MetaMask's perception of the dense innovation in the web3 ecosystem, which a single wallet team cannot effectively capture. By creating an open product ecosystem through Snaps, the best products can emerge on their own. The significance of this feature for MetaMask is that, after careful consideration, the team is taking a collaborative approach with the ecosystem and empowering builders to bring their own innovations to MetaMask through Snaps. My long-term vision for Snaps is to see many types of products launched in the form of Snaps and to see users using MetaMask in many ways that we cannot even predict today, all supported by Snaps.

4. ChainCatcher: Can you reveal how the current user usage situation is specifically? What are the most frequently used types of applications? Are there any unexpected aspects?

Christian: Although I cannot share any specific user data, we have seen that some of the most popular use cases are Solana, Cosmos, and Tezos. We are pleased to see MetaMask users explore these ecosystems through Snaps.

The Grand Future of the Little Fox

EVM vs Non-EVM

5. ChainCatcher: MetaMask was initially built on the Ethereum ecosystem, and MetaMask Snaps chooses to support non-EVM networks. However, the recent hype of multi-chain narratives seems to have overshadowed Layer2. Will MetaMask still be "All-in on multi-chain" in 2024? Are there any planned new milestones and major updates for 2024?

Christian: Although MetaMask originated from Ethereum, it believes that innovation is happening in many areas of the entire web3 ecosystem. MetaMask will continue to focus on interoperability and the future of multi-chains. MetaMask Snaps has expanded the use of web3, including non-EVM blockchains such as Bitcoin, Solana, Cosmos, and EVM Layer2 solutions like StarkNet.

6. ChainCatcher: The access methods for Ethereum ecosystem nodes are different from BNB Chain, Solana, and other public chains. In dealing with node and RPC access adaptation issues, the Snaps development team chose to open APIs, allowing developers to complete the adaptation work themselves, while MetaMask is responsible for the audit work after integration. Can you provide examples of common issues during the audit process and how MetaMask will ensure the long-term stability and security of Snaps integration in the future?

Christian: The design of the MetaMask Snaps platform is based on security. Each Snap is isolated and follows the "Least Authority Necessary" principle, managing only the keys and data it needs to extend the functionality of MetaMask. For Snaps of blockchains like Solana, the audit process involves ensuring that each Snap does not mishandle keys or expose user data in any way. The developers behind each Snap are experts in their respective on-chain wallet creations. The source code of each Snap is public, which means anyone can audit their code and report any issues promptly. We believe this approach ensures the long-term stability and security of Snaps.

ERC-4337 & Permissionless Access

7. ChainCatcher: Undoubtedly, MetaMask is a leader in the wallet race. Will the highly popular ERC-4337 have an impact on MetaMask's next phase of updates?

Christian: We see ERC-4337 as an opportunity to explore new account management solutions and improve the web3 user experience. We are exploring ERC-4337 through Snaps and inviting developers to build ERC-4337 wallets within Snaps.

8. ChainCatcher: MetaMask has always been one of the top Web3 traffic entry points. With the increasing maturity of Snaps and the return of non-EVM users, MetaMask undoubtedly will have more competitive advantages. How does MetaMask view competition and cooperation with other wallets? How does MetaMask view the actions of more and more exchanges launching built-in web3 wallets?

Christian: As you mentioned, we believe that competition and cooperation are beneficial for Web3 and the world. MetaMask welcomes competition and cooperation. Regarding exchanges integrating wallets, we believe competition is healthy, but we are also committed to striving for decentralized solutions.

9. ChainCatcher: The launch of Snaps means that the community can extend existing programs without permission. Can you talk in detail about the efforts MetaMask has made for permissionless access and the future direction of development?

Christian: Through Snaps, we aim to encourage third-party developers to use their unique expertise to build our platform, fully unleashing the innovation potential of web3. As you emphasized earlier, MetaMask envisions an open, permissionless innovation system where any web3 developer can build a Snap and offer it to users, creating a community platform built by the community. In the future, we will integrate Snaps into MetaMask extensions in a more profound way, providing users with unprecedented new experiences.

Towards Mass Adoption

10. ChainCatcher: How does MetaMask view the concept of "mass adoption"? Can the launch of Snaps be seen as an important step for MetaMask to drive mass adoption? At the same time, some believe that the social track will be a more attractive traffic entry point in 2024, and they compare Telegram's recent actions with MetaMask. How do you view this viewpoint?

Christian: Innovation that provides personalized user experiences is still crucial for eliminating entry barriers and promoting the development of the Web3 ecosystem, with the ultimate goal of having 1 billion users using Web3. Every wave of internet applications has been driven by personalization. Web1.0 had GeoCities, Web2.0 had MySpace. When users can personalize their user experience through wallets and the protocols they use, Web3.0 will experience exponential growth.

11. ChainCatcher: Many MetaMask users have compared the launch of the Snaps plugin to Google, and many Chinese readers have compared MetaMask Snaps to WeChat Mini Programs, which are also customizable. Both focus on developer freedom. What are the differences between MetaMask Snaps and "big tech" companies like Google and Tencent in Web2? Also, from my personal viewpoint, freeing developers' thinking from the bear market might be a breakthrough. What unique significance do developers have for the MetaMask ecosystem and the entire Web3, and what advice do you have for developers who want to participate in building MetaMask Snaps?

Christian: This comparison may be related to Google and WeChat encouraging community developers to contribute applications and extensions to their products. However, the main difference is that Google and WeChat adopt a centralized developer onboarding approach, while Snaps aims to promote decentralization.

With Snaps, developers can bring their unique expertise into the wallet experience. Currently, MetaMask has 40 third-party Snaps available for use, which is significant. These Snaps include support for multiple blockchain protocols outside of Ethereum, decentralized messaging and notifications, and secure solutions to ensure user safety in web3.

Developers interested in contributing to Snaps can start by understanding our developer documentation and trying to build their own Snaps. With our easy-to-learn tutorials, anyone can get started in 30 minutes!

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