Dear Apes,
Seeing as I am already having background discussions with various members of our community, I find myself repeating the same things. And so, I have decided to write this short explanation to explain why I have taken this action.
To be honest, this has been brewing for quite some time, but this new AIP thread and the exchanges within were the last straw for me.
I am old school and hail from a time when community activity was based on goodwill, honesty, and companionship. The best communities, run by the best and kindest people, all carry out roles for the benefit of the community - for FREE. Contributing your time, effort and energy, from the goodness of your heart and for the benefit of your community, shouldn’t come at a cost or for a fee. And certainly not one that costs you your soul.
Though it was a bit rough for me at the start, I came to understand the very many eclectic and diverse people here. There are no heroes and villains, friends or foes. It’s just us. And like all communities, we will have our disagreements, our victories and our failures. We will choose sides, make our alliances, and stand our ground for the things that we believe in. The key to all of these ups and downs, is mutual respect. To that end, everything that I have done and written here has been in the furtherance of these simple goals. I think that my involvement in the community, coupled with the exceptional amount of time and engagement that I have given, stands for something. And if nothing else, it should stand as testament to my goodwill, dedication and good intentions.
I harbor no ill will, and my goal is not to divide the community. Regardless, if you want to make an omelet, you have to break a few eggs.
- Our community isn’t growing. It is stagnant.
- Our token is headed to zero - and nobody wants to touch it. At least not without intrinsic incentives.
- Investors make money off our situation by, at every opportunity, shorting the token.
- Whales - by the rights granted by our founders, and through no fault of their own - control our voting process to their benefit. I cannot in good conscience blame them for the power granted to them.
- AIPs which, on their face, clearly benefit the DAO, get routinely killed by whales. The metrics are there for all to see. This is no secret.
- Some of our leaders are clearly skirting the rules, thereby inadvertently making themselves kings. Thus, we as a community, collectively have no power; despite that which was granted to us by the founders.
- The mandate and role of the DAO as a grants body is laughed at because deep down, there isn’t a single sensible person on this Gods Earth who thinks that a body that was seeded to the tune of $1B is just going to give it all away - and that the powers that be are just going to allow it.
- There are far too many backroom dealings and discussions going on behind the scenes and in which power players shape the direction of the DAO and to the detriment of the community they’re supposed to serve and guide.
- The Ape Foundation is spending money in ways that do not - in any way, shape of form - bring tangible benefit to the DAO. Even for a non-profit org.
- The DAO is already engaged in legal action pertaining to the token, and for which, according to our financials, it has been spending copious amounts of money to litigate. At some point, the regulators will come - and we are not prepared for that fight.
All those things harm the community. An AIP for change, such as this, doesn’t harm it.
I have no interest in any DAO position in its current state.
I was previously interested in the Metaverse Working Group where I can be effective in garnering support for the community and to bring builders to the token. But the DAO is inefficient, it’s tribalized, it’s politicized - and most people don’t want to change things for the better. Aside from the fact that getting budgets passed for anything is a gruesome task etc. And so, unless the DAO changes, all I would be doing, if voted into a position, is drawing a salary for getting nothing done. I make enough money in my field. And so, I don’t need to sully my rep for no reason if I end up in a situation where I am ineffective through no fault of my own. I am old school like that, and I believe in rewarding progress. Besides, there’s nothing that I am doing now - for free - that I wouldn’t again do for free if it benefits the community in some way. With that, I withdrew from my name from the list several months ago.
I tried again to bring change by way of a community action group, The Ape Assembly, where I believed that my input would be valuable. The chaos in the AA led me to write two AIPs (here and here) complement each other. I did that in an attempt to help the DAO prosper in some way. And I did that for free, in much the same way that I offer guidance to people (even those here in our community) who ask for my advice, mentorship or opinions.
In short, I have kept trying my best to make a difference. But, I came to the conclusion that it was all for naught and that the DAO needed to change for any meaningful change to come.
I love this community and I would love to see it prosper.
I urge you all to set your feelings aside, read the facts in the AIP, and consider everything that you have read, seen, experienced - and done for the community.
The DAO is a startup, and so, it has the unique benefit of enacting a radical pivot for the better. If it means burning it all down and starting over from a sound foundation with clear rules and guidelines which adhere to the changing times, and elect new leaders with impeccable and unimpeachable reputations and experience, that’s what we should do.
We are Apes. We can do this. We should do this.
SmartAPE