Why I'm running this survey
I was recently refused payment for my work. The amount is substantial and the refusal is in clear breach of contract. It's the third time this has happened to me in my six years in the industry, and this time, I am not moving on quietly.
Raising awareness of non-payment in crypto and web3 is now my project.
It begins as a personal one, but my hope is that it will become a community project that — hopefully, eventually — serves not only to raise awareness, but to actively help us avoid bad actors, and access social support and legal advice when we need it.
Mapping the scale of the problem, in numbers and in dollars, is the first step.
I personally know over 100 people in the industry — friends, colleagues, service providers who were not paid for their work. There must be thousands more.
This is a survey long overdue. And this project is my contribution to a space that, despite everything, I still believe in deeply.
Security & anonymity
The survey does not collect your name, email address, or the names of the projects that did not pay you. Your IP address is not logged either. This is deliberate — I want you to answer honestly without worrying about identification.
If you'd like to share identifying details or be contacted for follow-up, you can email me on didtheypayyou@proton.me or DM me on LinkedIn here. I will never publish identifying details without your explicit consent.
Survey results
I'll be sharing regular updates and findings on my personal LinkedIn as the survey progresses, and publish a full report once we cross 1,000+ responses.
