Web3 protocol Blast has reached a whopping $823 million in total value locked (TVL) just weeks after its controversial mid-November launch, boasting a 26.5% gain in the past seven days. The Ethereum scaling solution offers native yields to users who stake their funds, promising a 4% yield on Ether and 5% on stablecoins. However, Blast has faced challenges, including a user losing $100,000 after converting a deposit to DAI due to a misconfigured slippage parameter. Additionally, Blast's relationship with investor Paradigm is strained, and the protocol's lack of withdrawal functionality has raised concerns. Despite these issues, Blast has attracted over 75,000 members and is hiring senior engineers for upcoming deployments.