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 just got a message from a node runner (formerly top 200 ranked node) that is shutting down the lightning node to move their bitcoin to a safer place. 

i am worried there is no incentive to run a lightning node. sigh. 😔  
 I think it is too early. I have had similar thoughts, And looking at the business infrastructure (or lack of infrastructure) it is just too early. It seems the people moving in with 50 bitcoin on their node are alright, But the real world use case is still too bumpy. Only custodial products can integrate lightning effectively, And the people most likely to benefit from lightning are the people first stacking sats. If you own a business, Charging people over lightning is really important, But the task of moving that bitcoin into cold storage after every day should be a part of business operations. Right now it is the opposite. A way for big bitcoiners to pay for each other’s lunch instantly in a conversation. It’s ok if my bitcoin sits in a custodial wallet until I use it on something else if it is expendable to me but people working their way out of poverty make every sat count. I think it would be a better idea to build lightning infrastructure than to run a node. It’s good experience to have but the well functioning (sometimes) wallets like Phoenix, Muun, Zeus, Mutiny ect, Are where basic utility of the lightning network is best established already, And it doesn’t seem to be a profit motive for these node runners anyway.