Pinned Tweet
🚨 COMMUNITY UPDATE
#ION is entering a new chapter—one focused on shipping products, generating real revenue, and building long-term value across the ecosystem.
ice.io
It has been a while since our last major community update. Today, we are ready to share the direction ahead.
1️⃣ TOKEN SALES END TODAY
Effective immediately, ION is ending all token sales.
As our products launch one by one and begin generating revenue, our focus in the coming months will shift toward establishing a token buyback program.
This marks an important transition for ION: from funding development to launching products, serving users, and building a revenue-driven ecosystem.
2️⃣ SIX PRODUCTS. ONE PRIVACY STACK.
We have completely updated our website to reflect this new direction.
ION is building six products around a shared privacy infrastructure and a residential network spanning more than 200 million homes.
🔐 Residential VPN
A VPN powered by real residential connections instead of easily identifiable datacenter IPs—designed to make browsing, streaming and banking feel like ordinary residential activity.
🌐 Residential Proxies
Access to residential connections across 195+ countries, with targeting by country, state, city and ISP, unlimited concurrency, and a network built on voluntary participation.
📧 Secure Email
Private email with end-to-end and at-rest encryption. Keys are generated and held on the user’s device, meaning ION’s servers only handle encrypted data.
🛡️ Privacy Browser
A Chrome-compatible browser built to block trackers and reduce browser fingerprinting by rotating identifying signals between sessions—without giving up familiar extensions and workflows.
🔑 Password Vault
A zero-knowledge vault that encrypts credentials on the user’s device and includes password-health monitoring, breach alerts and passkey support.
🤖 Agent Access
Residential internet access built for autonomous AI agents. Agents can access the network and pay per request through x402 micropayments—with no traditional account, subscription or exposed API key required.
Six products. One account. One shared infrastructure.
3️⃣ BUILT ON 15 YEARS OF TECHNOLOGY
These products are not being built from zero.
Their foundations are based on protocols and infrastructure developed at Leftclick over the past 15 years. The core backend technology already exists.
Our focus is now on transforming that infrastructure into intuitive, polished products that people and AI agents can use every day. This significantly shortens the path from development to launch, and the first product rollouts are approaching.
4️⃣ BUILT FOR WHERE THE INTERNET IS GOING
AI agents are rapidly becoming a new class of internet user.
But agents operating from datacenters are frequently blocked, challenged by CAPTCHAs, or forced to depend on accounts and API keys that were designed for humans.
ION’s infrastructure is uniquely positioned for this shift.
Residential connectivity, privacy, secure credentials, encrypted communication and autonomous pay-per-request access are not separate ideas—they are becoming essential infrastructure for an agent-driven internet.
ION is building at the intersection of two powerful and growing markets: digital privacy and autonomous AI.
Our roadmap is clear:
→ End token sales
→ Launch the six-product privacy stack
→ Acquire users and customers
→ Generate sustainable product revenue
→ Establish the ION buyback program
→ Strengthen the entire ecosystem
👉 The infrastructure has been built.
👉 The products are coming.
👉 The revenue phase is ahead.
👉 And this is only the beginning.
Welcome to the next chapter of ION. ⚡
🦄 A $1M+ domain is becoming home to an ION protocol. Big commitment, and a lot more to build.
This one means a lot to us. Any guesses on the name?
⏰ Years ago, I bought a three-word .io domain. Since then, the industry has grown 20x, and the domain alone is now worth over $1 million.
Today, I’m confirming it: that domain will be home to one of ION’s protocols.
That’s a $1M+ asset I personally own, and I’m putting it behind something I believe in. I know what it’s worth. I also know what ION means to me.
I’m not playing around.
Three words. Ends in .io. Can you guess the domain? 👀
💫 Fifteen years ago, we helped pioneer an industry that didn’t exist. It wasn’t easy, but we kept building.
We’re bringing that same persistence to ION.
👉 15 years ago, I created Shifter. Not with the intention of building a company, but simply to solve a problem we had internally.
What started as a service developed for our own needs quickly evolved into something much bigger.
A year later, we launched Shifter publicly, introducing what was, at the time, the first rotating residential proxy service on the internet.
We didn’t enter an existing market. We helped create an entirely new industry.
Today, 14 years after its public launch, Shifter remains among the leading providers in an industry that has grown from virtually nothing into a global residential proxy market estimated at $1.92 billion in 2026, with projections reaching $3.05 billion by 2031.
What makes me particularly proud isn’t just the growth of the industry, but the fact that something we originally built for ourselves became a solution trusted by some of the world’s largest companies.
We’ve had the privilege of serving numerous Fortune 500 companies, including clients who have stayed with us for more than 14 years.
But the journey from an internal tool to an industry leader was anything but easy.
Over these 14 years, we’ve faced countless challenges, setbacks, difficult decisions, and moments of uncertainty. Like any business building something meaningful, we’ve had our ups and downs.
There were times when things didn’t go according to plan. Times when we had to rethink our approach, adapt, and find solutions to problems we hadn’t anticipated.
But we never stopped building.
We worked through the challenges, learned from our mistakes, and kept moving forward.
And 14 years later, we’re still here, still growing, and still serving some of the world’s largest companies.
Why am I sharing this? Because I see many similarities with what we’re building today at ION (Ice Open Network).
If you’ve ever built a business, launched a product, or created something from scratch, you understand one fundamental truth:
Nothing meaningful is built without challenges. And nothing designed to last for decades is built overnight.
I understand that some members of our community are frustrated. I understand that expectations are high and that everyone wants to see results as quickly as possible.
But building a sustainable ecosystem requires more than promises and short-term excitement. It requires real products, real users, real revenue, and a foundation strong enough to support long-term growth.
Sometimes that means making difficult decisions. Sometimes it means taking a different direction. And sometimes it simply means having the patience to do things properly.
Not everyone will understand those decisions immediately, and that’s okay.
I’ve spent the last 15 years learning what it takes to build, survive, adapt, and succeed in an extremely competitive industry.
I know what it means to face difficult times. More importantly, I know what it takes to work through them.
That’s the experience, determination, and mindset I’m bringing to ION.
My goal isn’t to build something that looks successful for a few months.
My goal is to build something that will still be relevant, useful, and growing 10, 20, or even 30 years from now.
We’ve done it before with Shifter, and I firmly believe we can do it again with ION.
It won’t happen overnight. There will be more challenges along the way. But our commitment to building real products and creating long-term value remains unchanged.
I don’t expect everyone to have the same patience, and I don’t expect anyone to believe in our vision simply because I say so.
Trust is earned through actions, not words. And ultimately, our products and results will speak for themselves.
What I can tell you is that we are putting the same determination into ION that helped us build Shifter into what it is today.
We’re not building for the next market cycle, the next announcement, or the next few months.
We’re building for the next decades.
✨ Building in public.
As more #ION repositories become open source, developers will be able to explore what we're creating.
⚡ The next chapter of #ION is being built.
Six products. One ecosystem. Real-world utility.
✨ I want to speak openly with you about where we are and what matters most to me.
One of my biggest priorities has been getting #ION to a point where we can keep operating without selling tokens to fund the project. We have now reached that point. For me, this is one of our most important milestones because it gives us a stronger foundation to build for the long term.
My focus now is on delivering what we promised. I will do everything I can to make these products succeed, and, as those who have followed us for years know, we still like to leave room for a few surprises.
In the past 4 years, we posted almost daily, shared development details early, and gave timelines that we too often missed. The complexity of the work was real, but those estimates were ours, and we are responsible for them. I understand why that affected your trust.
We communicate less frequently now, and I know the silence can be frustrating. We need to do a better job of keeping you informed while making sure the updates we share are concrete and the timelines are grounded in actual progress. Less noise should still mean clear accountability.
What gives me confidence in the upcoming products is that they build on industries where our team has spent more than 15 years developing technology, protocols, and commercial relationships. We already have clients we can offer these services to. That gives us a practical starting point for bringing them to market.
The goal is simple: useful products, paying customers, and a business that can support itself. That is the foundation I want for ION.
We have invested, and lost, more than anyone along the way. I share that as context for our commitment, but I know it does not excuse delays or erase anyone else’s disappointment. Trust has to be earned through what we do next.
I am proud of the products we have delivered and the millions of dollars distributed to participants through tap-to-mine of the phase one. I also accept that those achievements do not cancel out the things we got wrong. Both are part of our history, and we have to own both.
To those who have stayed: thank you. To those who are frustrated or have stepped away: I understand. Everyone has their own circumstances, and it is our responsibility to give people reasons to believe in our work through delivery.
I’m putting my energy into building, supporting the team, and bringing these products to market. I have faith in what we are doing, and I remain committed to seeing it through.
The next chapter needs to give you something tangible to judge.
Peace - Zeus
⚡ September is near.
The noise will fade.
The results will speak.
And once again, you’ll witness the power of Zeus.
🚨 Today, a thread containing numerous allegations about Ice Open Network, our team and members of our leadership was published on X.
We believe our community deserves facts—not speculation.
We’ve published a detailed response addressing each allegation individually, together with supporting documentation and evidence where appropriate.
Transparency has been one of our core principles since the first lines of code were written nearly five years ago, and that commitment remains unchanged.
We remain committed to transparency, accountability and allowing verifiable facts to speak for themselves.
ice.io/speculation-vs-facts-…
📣
📣 The past few months haven’t been easy.
For the first time in a long while, I found myself mentally exhausted. Spending more than five years building something that became a huge part of your life, then waking up one day not knowing whether it would survive, takes a toll that is difficult to describe unless you’ve lived through it.
When you’re fighting every day just to keep something alive, it’s easy to lose focus on the bigger picture.
The good news is that I’m in a much better place today.
Over the next 10–15 days, I’m going to do something I should have done months ago: completely disconnect from the internet, spend time with my family, reset, and come back with a clear mind.
When I’m back, my focus will be stronger than ever.
You’ll see me communicating more frequently, sharing what we’re building, being transparent about our progress, and focusing on execution instead of giving attention to FUD or people who have never experienced what it takes to build and lead a company through difficult times.
Our immediate objective is simple: by the end of September, generate enough revenue that we no longer need to sell treasury tokens. Reaching that milestone would be a major turning point for ION.
From there, the focus becomes straightforward: scale revenue, strengthen the ecosystem, and work toward buybacks.
I know some people will always find it easier to criticize than to build. That’s part of the journey. But I’m proud of what we’ve achieved with the resources we had, even during one of the most challenging periods in our history. Many companies much larger and older than us have shut down, reduced their teams, or disappeared entirely over the past year. The entire industry is going through a reset.
The fact that we’re still here, still building, still adapting, and still moving forward gives me confidence that we’re on the right path.
This holiday isn’t me stepping away from ION.
It’s me making sure I come back as the leader this project deserves.
Thank you to everyone who stayed with us through the difficult months. Your patience and belief haven’t gone unnoticed.
See you in a couple of weeks.
Let’s build the future.
⏳ Silence doesn’t mean we’re standing still.
It means we’re building.
We know you’re waiting for an update, but we’re not ready to share partial progress yet. When we have something meaningful to announce, backed by real results, you’ll hear it from us first.
Back to work.
Zeus
💫 Community Update
Last week, we shared the first campaign data from the controlled launch.
At that point, we had already managed to optimize our average cost per lead from $8.26 to under $3.50 across Tier 1 markets.
That was already a strong signal.
Since then, the numbers have improved even further.
Across the campaigns, we have now pushed the average cost per lead to under $2.50.
Even more important, one of the campaigns is showing exceptional potential, with leads coming in at around $1 each.
For developer-focused campaigns, especially in competitive markets, this is a very encouraging result.
It means the message is starting to work.
It means the audience understands the problem.
It means the product is being received well.
And it means the direction we chose has real demand behind it.
The feedback received so far confirms what we believed from the beginning:
Developers need better tools that help them move faster, reduce friction, and improve their workflow without forcing them to completely change the way they already build.
This is exactly where we are positioning the product.
The focus now is clear.
By July 15, our target is to scale daily campaign volume, increase the number of qualified leads, and start moving toward positive revenue.
This is the key transition.
From testing to scaling.
From assumptions to data.
From campaign validation to revenue generation.
The reason this matters for ION is simple:
A product that can acquire users profitably can generate recurring revenue.
Recurring revenue can strengthen the ecosystem.
A stronger ecosystem can support treasury growth.
Treasury growth gives us the foundation to activate buybacks.
And once the right stage is reached, the burn mechanism can become part of a much stronger economic cycle.
This is why we are being disciplined.
We are not trying to create a temporary wave of hype.
We are trying to build a real engine.
An engine that brings users in, generates revenue, scales from profit, and creates long-term value for the ION ecosystem.
The early data was good.
The new data is better.
The feedback is positive.
The demand is real.
Now the goal is execution.
Optimize harder.
Scale carefully.
Generate revenue.
Strengthen the treasury.
Prepare the next phase.
Step by step, we are rebuilding ION into something sharper, stronger, and commercially useful.
Zeus
💫 Over the past few weeks, we have been quietly testing, measuring, and learning.
No hype.
No big promises.
Just real campaigns, real users, real feedback, and real data.
Our first target audience has been developers, and we tested multiple campaigns across Tier 1 markets, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Europe, and other high-value regions.
These are some of the most competitive markets to advertise in, but they also bring the highest-quality leads.
So far, the campaigns have generated close to 350 leads, with an average cost per lead of $8.26.
After optimization, we managed to bring that cost down to under $3.50 per lead.
For an early test, this is a very promising signal.
Based on our current estimates, the lifetime value of a user exceeds $250.
With a 15% conversion rate, the model points to a potential ROAS of around 4.5x on ad spend.
For those who have never launched or scaled a product before, ROAS means return on ad spend.
In simple terms:
If we spend $10,000 on ads, a 4.5x ROAS means the campaign can generate around $45,000 in revenue.
In today’s market, where ads are expensive and scaling a product profitably is extremely difficult, this gives us a strong foundation to build from.
But this does not mean the work is finished.
It means the first real test gave us data worth taking seriously.
We are now preparing for Phase Two.
Phase Two is designed to get everything ready for the full launch.
That means:
Improving the product based on user feedback.
Preparing a stronger set of ads.
Trying to push acquisition costs even lower.
Optimizing conversion flows.
Improving onboarding.
Preparing the infrastructure for scale.
Making sure the product is ready before we open the floodgates.
We know some of you want things to move faster.
I understand that.
But this is not the moment to rush blindly.
This is our most important shot at rebuilding properly, and we want to do it with discipline.
The early numbers look strong.
The feedback is useful.
The acquisition model is starting to make sense.
And the direction is becoming clearer.
Once Phase Two is complete, we will push the campaigns much harder, scale from profits, and move toward Phase Three.
Phase Three is where the team becomes increasingly autonomous, where we no longer depend on tokens, and where we can activate the buyback mechanism.
From there, the goal is to start increasing the treasury and, at a later stage, activate the burn mechanism.
This is not about empty hype.
This is about building a product that can acquire users, generate revenue, scale through real business channels, and create long-term value for the ION ecosystem.
We tested.
We measured.
We learned.
Now we improve, prepare, and get ready to scale.
Zeus
🚨 We want to address the misinformation currently being spread regarding Aegis.
Some community members have shared posts claiming that Aegis was launched by us or is secretly connected to Ice Open Network / Ice Labs.
This is false.
Aegis is not our product.
Aegis is not launched by us.
Aegis is not the product we referred to in our recent announcements.
We made it very clear that the new product we launched on Monday would not be revealed publicly yet. We also explained that it is being launched under a separate product brand, the same way Online+ has its own name, brand, and domain while still being part of Ice Labs.
Unfortunately, instead of reading the announcements properly and waiting for facts, certain individuals decided to create unnecessary speculation, spread misinformation, and drag an unrelated project into baseless accusations.
That is unacceptable.
We also want to apologize to the Aegis team and community if they received negative comments, accusations, or harassment because of false assumptions made by people connected to our ecosystem. No legitimate project should be attacked because someone decided to turn speculation into “facts” without doing proper research.
Regarding our former CMO, we are disappointed to see her continue spreading misinformation and creating confusion around ION. This is not the first time we have seen narratives pushed in a way that damages the project, the team, and the community.
How can someone like her claim to stand for transparency and values.
Instead, we have seen comments removed from her channels, members of her own community blocked from participating in discussions, and conversations restricted when questions or facts challenged the narrative being presented.
This does not help the community.
This does not protect ION.
This only creates more FUD.
To everyone in the community: please read our official announcements carefully.
We said the product would launch on Monday.
It did.
We said the product name would not be revealed yet.
That remains the case.
We said it is a product brand under Ice Labs.
That is still true.
We are keeping the product private for now because the current level of FUD, personal attacks, and unnecessary speculation proves exactly why this approach is needed. Our priority right now is to protect the work, protect the launch, protect the team, and give the product the clean start it deserves.
Our goal is not to satisfy every demand for immediate disclosure.
Our goal is to save and rebuild the project with real products, real revenue, and real utility for the $ION ecosystem.
We will share more when there is something meaningful to share.
Until then, please stop turning assumptions into accusations. If you care about ION, focus on facts, official updates, and the long-term direction we are building.
We are here.
We are working.
We are protecting the project.
And we will continue moving forward.
Zeus
Ice Open Network retweeted
✨ Even though it is Sunday, I have personally spent more than 20 hours yesterday and today making sure everything is prepared for Monday.
I am honestly very hyped about tomorrow.
The next two weeks are extremely important for us and, in many ways, they will help define the future direction of $ION.
For those of you who have ever run ads or marketing campaigns before, you will understand what I mean when I say this: promoting Online+ through platforms like Google, Meta, and other major advertising networks was extremely difficult because of the nature of the product and its connection to crypto.
That created real limitations for us.
We could not properly promote it, scale campaigns, test audiences, optimize lead costs, or reach users in the way a normal product should be able to.
What we have built and are launching tomorrow is different.
From the beginning, this product has been designed with advertising compliance in mind, so we can finally run proper campaigns through platforms like Meta, Google, search, social, and other business acquisition channels.
The goal is very clear:
Bring in real users.
Generate real revenue.
Create real utility for the $ION ecosystem.
My focus right now is simple: I want the company to generate revenue without needing to sell a single token anymore.
Once we reach profitability, we can move with more strength into the next phase: token appreciation, buybacks, burns, deeper utility, and long-term ecosystem growth.
I want this project to succeed more than anyone.
I want you all to know that I am doing my best, every single day, to beat what sometimes feels impossible.
What I can promise is transparency.
Positive or negative, I will keep sharing the progress, the data, the feedback, the next steps, and what we are learning along the way.
These next two weeks will show us a lot:
Whether the product is strong.
Whether acquisition costs make sense.
How real customers react.
What feedback we receive.
What needs to be improved.
And how fast we can turn this into a profitable growth engine.
What I can say already is that we are pioneers again.
This is something new, something nobody else is doing in the way we are preparing to do it, and that is one of the reasons we are keeping the product name private for now.
Not because there is anything to hide.
But because we want to protect the launch, protect the team’s work, and avoid unnecessary FUD around a product that deserves a clean start.
New product.
New brand.
Same company.
Just like Online+ has its own name, brand, and domain, this new product also has its own brand and domain.
That does not mean it is separated from Ice Labs.
That does not mean anything strange is happening.
It simply means we are launching it properly for the market it is built for.
Tomorrow is the beginning.
Now we execute, measure, improve, and prove.
💫 We owe you an apology.
One week ago, we said Phase One of the new ION direction was expected to launch within two weeks.
We were wrong.
Phase One is already finished — and the controlled launch is scheduled to begin first thing Monday.
That means we are moving one week earlier than expected.
Over the past week, our small team pushed harder than ever. We have integrated AI deeply into our development, QA, testing, iteration, documentation, and automation workflows.
In total, last week, we processed more than 17 billion AI tokens across agentic development pipelines, automated QA loops, regression testing, edge-case simulations, code reviews, optimization tasks, technical documentation, campaign preparation, and product validation work.
While we were sleeping, our agents were still working.
Testing.
Breaking things.
Finding issues.
Re-running flows.
Improving outputs.
Validating user journeys.
Preparing the product for real clients.
This is exactly the speed we were missing in the past.
We had strong ideas before, but we often lacked the execution velocity needed to bring them to market fast enough. This time, things are different.
Phase One is not a hype launch.
It is a controlled launch with a small initial client base, where we will calibrate campaigns, optimize acquisition costs, collect real feedback, improve conversion flows, and validate demand with actual users.
The goal is simple:
Build a product that brings real utility, real monthly revenue, and real value back into the ION ecosystem.
This new direction is connected to the AI industry, but it is not dependent on crypto hype, KOLs, market noise, or empty speculation. It can be marketed through real business channels, including search, social, and direct acquisition campaigns.
We have already prepared multiple campaign angles. Once we begin collecting data, I will share updates as transparently as possible: what works, what does not, what we are improving, and how the product is performing.
Some people will say this is just marketing.
That is fine.
If it is only marketing, it will not survive contact with real clients, real campaigns, real feedback, and real numbers.
The project is 100% open-source under the MIT license and will be shared publicly at the right moment.
For now, we launch, measure, learn, improve, and grow.
This is the rebuild.
This is the speed we needed.
And this is how we make ION stronger, sharper, and useful again.
Zeus
💫 Over the past month, we have been working on a new direction for ION — one that I personally believe can define the future of this project.
This time, we are doing things differently.
In the past, we shared too much too early: teasers, plans, timelines, and details before products were fully ready. We learned from that. This time, we build first, launch first, prove first, and only then reveal everything.
Phase One of this new product is almost ready and is expected to launch within the next two weeks.
The product is connected to the AI industry, designed to generate revenue from day one, and built to bring real utility and long-term value back into the ION ecosystem.
Unlike previous initiatives, this does not depend on crypto KOLs, hype cycles, or market noise. It can be marketed directly through proper business channels, including social and search campaigns. This was something we could not realistically do with Online+ due to the nature of the product and the restrictions we faced with major advertising platforms.
Once the campaigns begin, we believe it should take around four weeks to validate the product, the demand, and the market response.
For now, because of the aggressive FUD and unnecessary attacks around ION, we will not disclose the product name publicly until the right moment. The product is being launched by Ice Labs under a separate brand, as it is focused on AI and not directly branded as the ION Chain.
This approach protects the launch, protects the team’s work, and gives the product the clean start it deserves.
I will keep the community updated step by step as we move forward. Once we prove traction and growth, we will reveal more and bring the community fully into what we are building.
In around six weeks, we will have a much clearer answer on where ION stands and what this new direction can become.
I am more confident than ever that ION can come back stronger, sharper, and more focused than before.
Now it is up to the community to decide: believe in the rebuild, or watch it happen from the sidelines.
Zeus
✨ Some of you may think we went silent because we stopped working on ION.
We didn’t.
As we said weeks ago, we are still here, still building, and still fighting to put the project back on the right path.
Yes, the team is smaller now. But I still believe this team is capable of doing something powerful once the work we’ve been doing is ready to be shown publicly.
In the past, you were used to weekly bulletins, timelines, updates, and constant transparency.
That changes now.
We will no longer share every step, every internal milestone, or every expected timeline before things are ready. We learned the hard way that too much transparency can sometimes create more damage than trust, especially when technical delays happen and people turn unfinished work into FUD.
This period may look difficult from the outside, but I believe it will make the community stronger. It will separate the noise from the believers, the bad mouths from the builders, and the short-term panic from the long-term vision.
Our focus now is simple: build products that generate real revenue, so we never end up in this position again.
Big changes are coming. The website will be updated. The whitepaper will be updated. And when the time is right, the new direction will be clear.
One lesson I learned personally: never brag before the product is ready. If what we are building was easy, everyone would have done it already.
Right now, words will not convince everyone. And that is fine.
Because if our plan works and we execute it properly, the results will speak louder than any post.
We are not building only for crypto users.
We are building something that can scale beyond crypto, cheaper, faster, and with real utility.
Silence does not mean surrender.
It means focus.
Zeus