Users who found themselves excluded from the Eigenlayer airdrop have expressed frustration with the protocol's announcement, citing concerns over its non-transferable token structure, strict geo-restrictions, and what they perceive as a short snapshot period.

Eigenlayer, the second-largest protocol with a total value locked (TVL) of $15.67 billion, revealed the details of its long-awaited "stakedrop" in a blog post on April 29. Despite never officially confirming an airdrop until the announcement, speculators were eager to add their already-staked Ether to Eigenlayer, contributing over $15.7 billion to the protocol since its inception, in hopes of receiving an airdrop in the future.

The Eigen Foundation announced that it would allocate 15% of EIGEN's total supply of 1.67 billion tokens to the community, with only 5% of the initial allocation going to early users who participated in Season One. The remaining allocation would be distributed in subsequent 'seasons.'

Criticism arose over the relatively small allocation for Season One, with some users finding the documents detailing airdrop allocations confusing. However, the primary point of contention was the fact that while users could claim their EIGEN tokens starting from March 10, they would not be able to transfer or sell them until an undisclosed date.

The Eigen Foundation explained that this control was implemented to ensure that key features, such as payments and slashing parameters, were well-established before EIGEN became transferable among users, believing this approach would best support the long-term growth and maturity of the EigenLayer ecosystem.

Critics also took aim at EIGEN's linear distribution model, which ties the number of points users earn directly to the number of claimable EIGEN tokens. Some argued that this model unfairly favors large restakers, benefiting a smaller number of users at the expense of others.

In addition to these concerns, critics highlighted the harsh geographic restrictions placed on users seeking to claim their airdrops. According to EigenLayer's legal documentation, users from 30 countries, including the United States, Canada, China, and Russia, would not be able to claim EIGEN tokens. The foundation stated that it had taken steps to prevent users from circumventing these restrictions using VPNs.

Despite the criticism, Henrik Andersson, the chief investment officer of Australian crypto investment firm Apollo Capital, defended EigenLayer, describing the total 15% allocation to users as generous. He praised the protocol's distribution model as fair, eliminating issues related to Sybil attacks, and commended its user-friendly approach to checking stakedrop status.