The rise and fall of DAOstack: lessons for decentralized autonomous organizations

Abstract

Despite the hype and scandals around blockchain, there are valuable applications beyond finance, such as decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). DAOs are self-governed online communities where users vote and manage budgets transparently. In under a decade, DAOs have evolved from theory to managing billions of dollars. Blockchain enthusiasts launched DAO platforms like our case study, “DAOstack”, promising large-scale collaboration and quickly securing millions in funding. Today, we can critically evaluate to what extent the platform followed up on its promises. In this work, we analyze DAOstack using a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative data. In particular, we quantitatively examined its 92 organizations in terms of size, lifespan, activity, power concentration, and the effectiveness of its governance model. We also interviewed in-depth 6 DAOstack core users to delve deep into their experiences using the platform. Our analysis shows that DAOstack mainly hosted small, short-lived DAOs, with some exceptions. Its governance model was functional, but the economic incentives underpinning it were ineffective. The analysis of the interviews reveals interesting aspects such as the power imbalances due to token ownership and reputation, and that the voting system, though innovative, was affected by issues of cost and complexity. We conclude by discussing the challenges these platforms face and advocating for a multidisciplinary experimental approach for future DAO designers.