Damn, even top-tier bosses like 1inch are lamenting how hard it is to make money. Just imagine how tough life must be for those smaller DeFi protocols! Top DeFi projects are generally stuck in a dilemma between high usage, low value retention, and high hidden costs. Take aggregators like 1inch, for example. Their bargaining power is weaker compared to liquidity providers. The more faithfully they deliver the best deals, the harder it is to charge users high fees directly. Currently, the more profitable top DeFi protocols mostly follow these models— Sky: Stablecoins and balance sheet-style interest income Hyperliquid: High protocol retention rate, transaction fees directly feeding into the ecosystem economy http://pump.fun: High fee rates, low capital expenditure platform model Aave: Diverse income streams from reserve factors, liquidations, and GHO Lido: Stable staking yield commissions Pendle: Focused on niche sectors with higher retention rates