Unknown is better than wrong

A number on a screen feels more useful than an empty space. That is how bad data becomes a product feature.

I ran into this with market cap and wallet PnL. The API usually returns something. It does not always return the thing the interface says it returned.

Missing supply, incomplete history, wrapped assets, stale prices. Each shortcut makes the dashboard look more complete and the answer less real.

I now prefer a clear “unknown” with a reason. It is less impressive in a screenshot. It is much more useful when someone has to make a decision.

This became a rule in PNLFlex and the Web3 Observability Lab: show what is known, show where it came from, and stop when the evidence stops.