The Meta-DAO is live. This still feels weird to say. It feels weird because I started work on the Meta-DAO in October 2022 — more than a year ago — and only released it in November 2023 — this month. So for most of its existence, the Meta-DAO was no more than an idea in my head and some code on my screen, and I’m still getting used to a reality where that’s not the case.
Of course, this is still incredibly early days. We don’t yet have a single product built under the Meta-DAO banner, much less a revenue-generating business. But there is also cause for optimism. Despite an intentionally high-friction airdrop process — including a quiz that I found difficult— we had 71 people participate, about 80% of those eligible. Despite the clunky (but rapidly improving!) UI, at least 16 people have already traded in the first proposal’s conditional markets. And discussion thrives: in the 12 days since launch, we’ve seen 17 proposals in our Discord forum.
I am as convinced as ever that this is an experiment worth conducting. For that cosmic flash of the pan that I’m given to live, I can think of no more glorious task than improving human coordination. And futarchy, dreamed up by Robin Hanson but put into practice by us, feels like it has a decent chance of doing so. By participating in the Meta-DAO, you and I have the opportunity to contribute to something much greater than ourselves: the ascent of humankind.
Undoubtedly, the path will not be easy. That much has already made itself abundantly clear. There are few things that humans dislike more than uncertainty, and the Meta-DAO contains a great deal of uncertainty. We don’t even have a clear picture of what the Meta-DAO would look like, were it to succeed.
But this is the price of innovating at the civilizational frontier. And this is a price I’m willing to pay.
I am in deep gratitude to those who have decided to come along for this journey, whether in part or in whole. I am grateful for every single one of you. I am especially grateful to three people: Dodecahedr0x, 0xNallok, and nicovrg. When he saw that UIs weren’t my forte, Dode stepped up to the plate and created the second Meta-DAO UI. This has become the main UI for most of our participants, including myself. Not only has Nallok contributed to this UI, but he has also become the benevolent dictator of the Meta-DAO’s Discord. As far as dictators go, this one has an exceptionally high approval rating, perhaps as high as 100%. And when I met Nico, I knew that I had met an ardent supporter and instant friend who I could depend on through thick and thin. He serves as the main community organizer of the Meta-DAO, ensuring that attention flows to the right discussions. Whatever happens to the Meta-DAO (and complete failure is on the table), I will remain forever grateful to Dode, Nallok, and Nico.
Proph3t
