ORE has dropped computational proof of work. Here is how it works, and the case for and against it as a store of value. I remember writing about ORE when it first launched in 2024 and the congestion it caused nearly brought Solana to its knees. A budding proof-of-work (PoW) protocol then, ORE's explosive popularity showed the enduring allure of mining among crypto natives. Who doesn't love the idea of "earning passive income" and striking digital gold? And as the activity that originally secured Bitcoin, mining has become central to the idea of cryptographically "hard" money.