The oracle network Chainlink announced an iterative approach to building future versions of staking. The Chainlink staking v0.1 beta will be released on the Ethereum mainnet soon. The initial 12-24 month lock-up period is based on a conservative release cycle, and each version includes more advanced features. Smart contract development usually involves longer cycles to minimize repeated audits and engineering work across multiple versions, but after talking directly with many community members and node operators, the team realized that the community needs faster iterations and more frequent releases, so the next version of staking (v0.2) is planned to be launched in 9-12 months, when v0.1 stakers can unlock or migrate their staked LINK and rewards.