A job description for a role that doesn't quite exist yet, but probably should.
The premise: Run a modular rack of Mac minis at home. Cooperate with (not "manage") Ethereum validators, EigenLayer restaking for arbitrary protocols, and domain-specialized AI models exploring whatever interests you—art, biology, philosophy, code, whatever.
Two paths in:
1. Capital holder: Own 32 ETH (~$70k+), run your own validators, earn 3-6% APR
2. Infrastructure operator: Just hardware ($3-8k Mac mini rack), operate validators for others via SSV Network (distributed validator tech), get paid for uptime and reliability
The second path is the interesting one. Liquid staking protocols (Lido, Rocket Pool) enable clean separation: capital holders provide stake, technical operators run infrastructure. You don't need to be an ETH whale to participate in decentralized coordination infrastructure.
Hardware: 2-4 Mac mini M4 Pro units (16-core GPU, 64GB RAM), add/remove on demand, 120-240W total. Run validators for any EigenLayer protocol (not just Ethereum—oracles, bridges, rollups, DA layers). Run local 3B AI models with LoRA adapters (30-50 tok/sec, no cloud dependency, domain-specialized not general-purpose).
The language matters: "cooperating with" not "managing". Horizontal coordination, not vertical hierarchy. The infrastructure runs itself; you maintain conditions for it to function.
Is this production-ready? Partially. Ethereum staking works today. SSV Network enables the operator path. EigenLayer AVS are launching. Local AI models are fast enough. The full vision is aspirational, but the components exist.
This is meant as an invitation—what would it look like to make infrastructure operation accessible to technical people without capital barriers? To separate coordination work from wealth accumulation? To run general-purpose productive substrates at home instead of renting compute from megacorps?
Exploratory thinking, not a business plan. Curious what HN thinks.
The premise: Run a modular rack of Mac minis at home. Cooperate with (not "manage") Ethereum validators, EigenLayer restaking for arbitrary protocols, and domain-specialized AI models exploring whatever interests you—art, biology, philosophy, code, whatever.
Two paths in:
1. Capital holder: Own 32 ETH (~$70k+), run your own validators, earn 3-6% APR
2. Infrastructure operator: Just hardware ($3-8k Mac mini rack), operate validators for others via SSV Network (distributed validator tech), get paid for uptime and reliability
The second path is the interesting one. Liquid staking protocols (Lido, Rocket Pool) enable clean separation: capital holders provide stake, technical operators run infrastructure. You don't need to be an ETH whale to participate in decentralized coordination infrastructure.
Hardware: 2-4 Mac mini M4 Pro units (16-core GPU, 64GB RAM), add/remove on demand, 120-240W total. Run validators for any EigenLayer protocol (not just Ethereum—oracles, bridges, rollups, DA layers). Run local 3B AI models with LoRA adapters (30-50 tok/sec, no cloud dependency, domain-specialized not general-purpose).
The language matters: "cooperating with" not "managing". Horizontal coordination, not vertical hierarchy. The infrastructure runs itself; you maintain conditions for it to function.
Is this production-ready? Partially. Ethereum staking works today. SSV Network enables the operator path. EigenLayer AVS are launching. Local AI models are fast enough. The full vision is aspirational, but the components exist.
This is meant as an invitation—what would it look like to make infrastructure operation accessible to technical people without capital barriers? To separate coordination work from wealth accumulation? To run general-purpose productive substrates at home instead of renting compute from megacorps?
Exploratory thinking, not a business plan. Curious what HN thinks.