Lido’s NEST token buyback engine has ground to a complete halt. The latest on-chain data shows its spending counter has fallen to negative $560,000, bringing buybacks to a standstill and even forcing the DAO community to meet early to rescue the 2027 budget. Under the original mechanism, NEST needs daily staking revenue to exceed a baseline of $109,000 to build up funds for buybacks. If revenue falls short, the counter goes further into the red, and buybacks cannot resume until the deficit is filled. The community is now deeply divided: one side wants to force the counter back to zero and start over, while the other is calling for steep budget cuts and an accurate accounting of actual staking rewards before taking action. With a staking pool worth tens of billions of dollars, yet unable to make the automated buyback formula for its own token add up, Lido’s governance is showing its true colors as soon as conditions turn against it.