Popular coins like Bitcoin are Proof of Work, meaning they‘re generated by using machines competing to solve complex equations to “mine” coins and digital assets. Proof of Stake works differently by choosing from a pool of people holding the Proof of Stake coin. A Proof of Stake “validator node” can be added to the pool by staking coins for a certain period of time, giving Proof of Stake validators a source of income without needing powerful mining hardware.