Samson Mow explicitly raised the possibility of a fork in response to Bitcoin Core’s policy change removing the 80-byte OP_RETURN data limit, suggesting economic incentives might support an alternative implementation

Quotes that support claims

Looking ahead, some think a new fork could split off a “pure money” chain that blocks data inscriptions. Others foresee layer-2 networks or sidechains taking on the heavy lifting for art, messaging, and other uses.

In May, Mow highlighted that the discussion around this topic signaled the need for a fork of the software to appear. “If there is economic power saying bitcoin is money, then this is how you could show it,” he stressed, stating that this new fork of the Core project would “provide a different way forward.”