Growing & Securing Networks What’s Next for Onchain Governance
summary
Argues that referendum-only DAOs fail and proposes modular governance UI plus optimistic governance with vetoes and timelocks; Aragon ships a protocol that separates proposal types (mint, upgrades, grants) so different powers use different processes. Describes the VE gauge model (lock tokens for VE, vote via gauges) with results: Mod locks 43% of supply in 6 weeks, 7,000 unique voters, 31,000 votes; Curve/Aerodrome report ~98% 4‑year locks and ~3.65 year average, and locking reduces supply ~3× more than burns. Toolkit is open source; Lido and Katana adopt variants.
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chapters (21)
- 0:00Introduction
- 0:36Conference Location & Opening Remarks
- 0:56The Promise and Problems of Blockchain Governance
- 2:14Regulatory Uncertainty & Misaligned Incentives
- 3:31Centralization vs. Decentralization in Practice
- 4:53The Status Quo & Regulatory Trends
- 6:24What Should Be Decentralized? Immutability, Automation, AI
- 7:17Governance as Defense and Offense
- 8:13Optimistic Governance & Separation of Powers
- 9:47Aragon’s Modular Governance Approach
- 11:54Lido’s Optimistic Dual Governance Example
- 13:04Defensive Governance: Protecting Protocols and Users
- 13:24Offensive Governance: Incentive Alignment & Grant Programs
- 14:01The VE Gauge Model & Token Value Accrual
- 15:27Growth Flywheel & Participation Incentives
- 16:48Benefits: Anti-Whale, Skin in the Game, Modularity
- 17:50Real-World Use Cases: Mods, Aerodrome, Curve
- 19:10Token Locking vs. Burn Mechanisms
- 19:43New Adoptions: Celo, Puffer, Katana
- 20:26Open Source Toolkit & Closing Thoughts
- 21:09Final Advice & Conclusion
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