The Promise of DAOs, the Latest Craze in Crypto | the New Yorker

The decentralized automated organization (DAO) structure and the technologies underpinning them -- transparent ledgers, smart contracts, cryptocurrencies, automated governance and certifiable digital ownership -- were created specifically and solely to align incentives. And now that they have been in the market for several years, we are starting to... See more

Of course, it’s not all fun and games, either — DAOs, after all, are not just an abstract crypto concept, but systems of people. And while they create new models for human coordination around shared principles or goals, they also present new challenges for effective governance, day-to-day execution, and scaling.

Supporters believe DAOs have the potential to reshape the way we work, make group decisions, allocate resources, distribute wealth, and solve some of the world’s biggest problems. DAOs are why Ethereum was created in the first place.

The shape of this future is rapidly coming into focus and centers around an organization referred to by technologists as “decentralized autonomous organizations,” or DAOs. These DAOs operate with different assumptions than many of today’s traditional legal entities and other business associations. DAOs are not run by boards or managers, but rather ... See more

When DAOs are needed The growth of DAOs in general and the massive success of some of the most innovative ones inevitably result in the perception that the route to growth and robust network participation requires a DAO structure. In times of ebullience, market forces make it easy to assume that every organization, community, or project needs a DAO... See more

For the past years, the outsized narrative of DAO as an alternative to venture capital dims the light of its much more profound, and much more interesting potential — a fluid, programmable, modular social network that is by design global, transparent, and collaborative. DAO has the potential to become a new frontier of belonging, to create a new sp... See more