AIP-426: Special Council- Future election requirement and role clarification

Final AIPs Accepted AIPs
1

PROPOSAL NAME:

Special Council- Future election requirement and role clarification

PROPOSAL CATEGORY:

Process

TEAM DESCRIPTION:

coLossuss0x: DAO enthusiast, Co-Founder of Curators Society DAO

ABSTRACT:

The Special Council of the APE Foundation, at the behest of the ApeCoin DAO members, acts as a liaison between the ApeCoin DAO members and the directors and officers of the APE Foundation. The Special Council exists to serve the vision of ApeCoin DAO.

To further shape the success of the role long-term, the following changes are proposed to be made:

  1. Clarify that the Special Council is an “Advisory Board’’ that serves an advisory function with no corporate decision-making power.
  • Rationale: Oftentimes there is quoted confusion in the community about what the Special Council is or is not. In practice, the Special Council is in fact an Advisory Board neither corporate officers nor management executives, and they should not be viewed as such. The Advisory Board should also not be misconstrued as the board of directors of the APE Foundation.
  • An effective advisory board member brings unique qualities to the table. Key qualities and characteristics that make an individual effective in this role: diverse knowledge base, proven familiarity and understanding of the ApeCoin DAO ecosystem, good judgment, thoughtfulness, communication skills, commitment, integrity, and team player abilities.
  1. Special Council nominees must have been discourse members for at least 6-months prior to the commencement of the term for which they are running and must have achieved a minimum of Trust Level 2 on discourse. For example, a nominee for the Special Council must have been a discourse member by June 30, 2024 if they are running for the January 1, 2025 term.
  • Rationale: The primary responsibility of Special Council members is to conduct administrative review of AIPs. Accordingly, it is important for the DAO that the individuals elected to the Special Council have a strong history of participation in the discourse and with AIPs.
  1. Removal of the weekly reports established by AIP-305.
  • Rationale: It was a good experiment, but the minimal engagement metrics of the reports has shown that they have not been an effective use of anyone’s time and efforts. Furthermore, such reports are not appropriate for advisory boards.

BENEFIT TO APECOIN ECOSYSTEM:

Implementing the proposed changes could yield several benefits for the ApeCoin DAO and its governance structure:

Clarity: Renaming the Special Council to the “Advisory Board” clarifies its role and that it is distinct from corporate management and decision-making. This clarity can help ApeCoin DAO members and better understand the purpose and function of the board, leading to more focused discussions and decision-making processes.

Fit and Focus: Requiring nominees to have a history of discourse participation and familiarity with AIPs ensures that Advisory Board members are properly suited to their roles. This can result in more informed discussions, better decision-making, and increased trust from the community.

Overall, these changes aim to optimize the Advisory Board’s role within the ApeCoin DAO, promoting long-term sustainability, and efficiency.

STEPS TO IMPLEMENT & TIMELINE:

Effective for the election cycle of council members commencing January 1, 2025:

  • Special Council nominees for its elections must have been discourse members at least 6 months prior to the commencement of the term (for example by June 30, 2024 for the January 1, 2025 term) which they are running and must have achieved a minimum of Trust Level 2 on discourse.

Effective immediately:

  • Revise as necessary any election communications and processes to reflect the changes approved via this AIP.
  • Update references of the Special Council as the “Board” to the “Advisory Board” (e.g., website copy ApeCoin for the Web3 Economy).
  • Removal of the weekly reports established by AIP-305.

OVERALL COST:

No ApeCoin requested from the treasury.

2 Likes
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You saying that people not filling weekly reports makes the reports inefficient is proof that most people really dislike accountability, but I assure you that they work and boost performance in all aspects of business and/or life, but one needs to execute on them.

Why try to do less? Instead of committing more to one’s self improvement?

I believe that we as a DAO need transparency and this AIP is aiming to get us a step further from it. Sad to see.

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Special Council:

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Personally, I thought monthly would have been a more reasonable cadence in the AIP. A balance needs to be made and a cadence which is implementable without excessive burden is key.

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High-performance individuals excel with weekly accountability cadences based on data. Even Elon Musk, when he took over Twitter, requested weekly reports from their engineers (which, btw, they didn’t like doing). Regardless, if the top holders of ApeCoin decide otherwise, so be it. I introduced a system that not only enhances individual performance but also adds transparency. The system (the weekly reports) shouldn’t be judged negatively simply because a few individuals don’t take them seriously.

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It is worth noting they are not employees but they are the Board, so the cadence being less often is reasonable according to my experience.

THE BOARD

The Special Council of the APE Foundation provides, at the behest of the ApeCoin DAO members, stewardship and oversight of the APE Foundation. The Special Council members exist to serve the vision of ApeCoin DAO.

It does this by the following, though they are not limited to the items listed below:

  • Conducting detailed administrative reviews of AIPs according to the process outlined in AIP-1
  • Ensuring the implementation of the ApeCoin DAO’s intentions and wishes as manifested through approved AIPs
  • Safeguarding and stewarding the ApeCoin DAO treasury
  • Serving as primary community liaisons with the APE Foundation and its service providers in Cayman Islands, facilitating open and effective communication channels
  • Overseeing the APE Foundation administrators and other service providers, ensuring they execute their duties with efficiency and timeliness, aligned with the ApeCoin DAO’s objectives and values.
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Hi,

Really confused to how many changes you propose. Numbered 1-7 under the above quoted sentence, but I max count three. Or maybe four changes total - as later on under “benefits” you mention changing the name of special council.

I just think there’s alot of words in this AIP but very little planned action, example - point three you talk about the qualities of an “effective advisory board” yet offer nothing to convince me that anyhting contiained withih the AIP would deliver this “ideal”. Do you want qualification, work experience history & perhaps criminal record checks? Is this even feasible for us to perform on people from certain contries in the timeframe we have to work with? I love the idea of verification, but can it be pratically introduced, and what are the role requirements?

Tl;dr - Not a fan at this point/am looking forward to more clarity.

Thanks.

1 Like
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Board members in most cases are shareholders, and even if they are not directly employees holding them accountable on a Weekly basis will enhance their performance. I sit on Boards myself so I speak from personal experience. But again, this is a DAO, so the majority of token holders (for now Mocaverse & Horizen Labs) have the power to decide what they think is best and I would respect either outcome.

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Board members in public companies are often not shareholders (They are of course, as you have stated for newly listed companies, when the founding team are very likely to be large shareholders, as well as large early investors). There are of course INED (independent non exec directors) and hired CEOs, COOs who are likely to have some shares or share options.

It is worth noting that some members of the Board such as Airvey have significant holdings (about 350k APE). I am not on the Board of ApeCoin, but as a Steward, I committed to holding my APE for a min of 6 months (my campaign promise), so for transparency, I am down about 25% this year along with you all. Therefore I naturally would like it to be worth more than if I had converted to USDC. NFA. We are a DAO and in this together!

6 Likes
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Feel you. Been holding and buying more ApeCoin myself. I love to see people that are committed to ApeCoin to also hold the token but I’m aware that there are life expenses and one needs to take care of those.

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Hello @coLossuss0x,

Thank you for putting up this proposal. There seems to be three main changes. Renaming the Special Council the “Advisory Board”, Discourse requirements for SC nominees, and getting rid of the weekly reports.

While I can see some benefits to changing the name and think minimum Discourse requirements would help ensure the nominees are prepared for the role, I don’t agree with getting rid of the reports. Right now there isn’t a lot of communication between the Special Council and the community and this is one of the only ways to know what’s being worked on. I think amending the way the reports work might be a better solution. Maybe the cadence is too frequent? I also think that they are very hard to find for most people and there’s no reminders for when they come out. I’m one of the few who read them and even I forget some weeks to look. Maybe they could be less frequent, but then also posted about on X?

Thanks again for your proposal and I look forward to your reply.

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Hi @coLossuss0x ,

The community feedback period for your proposal would be ending in roughly 24 hours.

  • If you’re content with the feedback received, your next steps are to finalize your proposal using the AIP Draft Template.

  • A moderator will reach out to the author to finalize the AIP Draft. Upon receipt of the final Draft, we will review and provide instructions on the next steps.

  • Are you ready to proceed to the next phase or do you wish to extend community discussion for another 7 days?

We look forward to hearing from you.

-@Facilitators

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I’m content with the feedback received and wish to proceed to the next phase.

Thanks everyone for the feedback on my proposal to clarify the role of the Special Council! I really appreciate your insights, and I’d like to address some of the main points raised.

Weekly Reports and Accountability

Regarding the removal of weekly reports, I understand that many of you value accountability and transparency. My proposal suggests that weekly reports may not be the most efficient use of the Special Council’s time, given their advisory role. While some believe weekly reports are essential, my position is that removing them can lead to more focused discussions and decision-making processes.

Clarifying the Role of the Special Council

Several of you mentioned the need for a clear definition of the Special Council’s role. My intention is to establish/re-affirm that it serves as an advisory board rather than a governing body. Perhaps that means changing the website from simply ‘board’. This change aims to remove ambiguity and clarify expectations. The Special Council’s function is supposed to offer guidance and oversight, not manage the DAO directly.

Qualifications and Transparency

Some feedback suggested incorporating specific requirements for Special Council members, such as discourse participation and work experience. While I appreciate the emphasis on qualified candidates, I believe my original proposal addresses the core requirements to ensure effective oversight without creating unnecessary barriers at this time with elections coming soon.

Transparency remains vital. While reducing the frequency of reports, other communication methods, like regular town hall meetings or increased social media activity, could keep the community informed. The ApeCoin community can and should continue to explore these options.

Thank you for your feedback and suggestions. I value our community’s insights, and while my proposal may not address every concern, I believe it moves us in the right direction.

coLossuss0x

1 Like
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This topic was automatically closed after 7 days. New replies are no longer allowed.

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Hi ApeCoin DAO Community,

@coLossuss0x has completed editing their AIP Idea to be their AIP Draft.

This proposal has been assigned the AIP ID Number 426.

Follow this Topic as further updates will be posted here in the comments.

Kind Regards,

-@Facilitators

1 Like
17

Hi ApeCoin DAO Community,

Edits have been made to this Topic by the author’s request.

You can click the Pencil icon at the top of the post to see these edits.

Follow this Topic as further updates will be posted here in the comments.

Kind Regards,

-@Facilitators

1 Like
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Hi ApeCoin DAO Community,

Our team has reviewed and discussed @coLossuss0x 's AIP Draft and have sent a list of initial questions. We await answers.

Follow this Topic as further updates will be posted here in the comments.

Kind Regards,

-@Facilitators

1 Like
19

Hi ApeCoin DAO Community,

@coLossuss0x has responded to our questions and has not provided consent to share them in this forum for the community.

A DAR package is being worked on and upon completion this AIP will move into Administrative Review. Follow this Topic as further updates will be posted here in the comments.

Kind Regards,

-@Facilitators

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Hi ApeCoin DAO Community,

We have no further questions for @coLossuss0x . This AIP is now under Administrative Review.

Follow this Topic as further updates will be posted here in the comments.

Kind Regards,

-@Facilitators