The post-Zuzalu era's DAO ecosystem construction
Content organized by: Jomosis
Original source: The SeeDAO
Contemporary young people are suffocating due to boss PUA, internal competition within departments, oppressive atmosphere, and endless meetings and reports. Working people are starting to reflect on themselves and on the corporate system.
We are curious: can working people escape this kind of pain in this era of uncertainty? Between so-called "internal competition" and "lying flat," in what seems to be a choice between left and right, is there a third way?
We invited some project owners and investors who have insights into the DAO model in the industry to have a roundtable discussion on the kind of work-life model we need and the form and future prospects of decentralized organizations.
-- This is destined to have a great impact on existing knowledge and go through a long process of self-doubt. But often it is in this process that we awaken our feelings and gradually discover the life we truly desire.
PART 1 A New Type of Social Organization - Zuzalu
Guests who have been to Zuzalu all believe that it has an atmosphere similar to a university campus. Although it is a social experiment, it is still a kind of life that many people long for -- freedom and openness.
Liu Yisi
Co-founder & CTO of MaskNetwork
I think it's very much like college life in the United States. Or it's just living or working in a different place.
I also encountered something interesting here. When paying for the apartment, the amount is calculated based on the per capita GDP of the participant's passport country. For example, participants from developed countries need to pay rent based on 100% of their per capita GDP. However, participants from underdeveloped countries only need to pay 50% of the per capita GDP.
At the same time, I feel that the people living in Zuzalu have privileged jobs. Normal people don't have the opportunity to suddenly fly to another country and live there for two months. Because they not only have to deal with the issues of remote work, but also face the issue of time difference, which I think is difficult for any normal person. So I see Zuzalu as a gathering of a privileged class of people.
Dr. Sun
Sociologist, Founder of comupage
From a sociological perspective, actually, the keywords mentioned by everyone in the afternoon discussion, such as identity, governance, university, community, and so on. We will find that it is not an innovation, but a return. When we are confused about "why it is different from its formation and now," we can ask the question in reverse: "What is it not?"
In different periods, we need a new way of looking at things. Especially the existing social organizations may fail to meet our needs in terms of emotions, creativity, and mobility, so a new way is needed, a need for an emerging mechanism. This is a sociological experiment to explore whether people will ultimately gather or not. If this mechanism is not attractive, then people will leave.
Hugh
Co-founder of YBB Capital
I feel like it's a similar atmosphere to when I was studying in the UK, where everyone lives together in a flat and organizes road trips together. I think it's a social direction that signifies the awakening of the new middle class. In a broader sense, it represents the desired lifestyle that people seek. Especially in today's society, people are often trapped in certain frameworks and unable to do what they truly desire. Instead, they are caught in a cycle where work becomes their main focus. This weakens the connection and interaction between individuals and between people and nature. Whether it's repetitive tasks as a programmer or screwing screws in a factory, it ultimately leads to the exploitation and alienation of capital.
Overall, I find it very enjoyable. People from different countries come together to cook dishes from their own countries and experience different cultures. It allows you to connect with others by expressing your sincere feelings. Ultimately, it's about the connection between individuals and the perception of life. It makes you rethink what happiness and wellbeing truly mean.
PART 2 What is DAO and could it become a solution for current society?
Li Yongfeng
Founder of OpenSquare Network
I don't understand the concepts of Zuzalu and network state; they seem quite abstract to me. However, I have gradually come to understand the concept of DAO. DAO doesn't have a mathematical definition; it's a group of people working towards a common goal. The most important aspect to discuss is governance, as it needs to be implemented based on specific needs. For example, in MakerDAO, governance involves using on-chain parameters and real-world assets (RWA) as collateral. It can govern similar things.
DAO, Zuzalu, and network state revolve more around people, while governance focuses more on things and matters. From a practical and direct perspective, the key is to understand what needs to be governed. The Polkadot ecosystem primarily governs two aspects: 1) how the treasury funds are spent and 2) on-chain upgrades. Once you understand what needs to be governed, you need tools, concepts, or methods. There are various methods of governance, such as requiring 50% of votes for approval, having proxy systems, or practicing democratic governance. Additionally, they also provide some data tools to help the community understand this governance method. Only after the underlying infrastructure becomes more prosperous and certain sociological theories are applied can the upper layer of DAO and network state become more enriched.
Hugh
Co-founder of YBB Capital
DAO is considered a consensus for the subdivision of matters in the process of development towards the same goal. It involves the division of labor and resource allocation within this organization to meet the needs of all parties. Although everyone has different chains, everyone is doing different things. In practice, the overall participation in DAO within the community is still very low, even in projects with higher participation like Curve, it ultimately becomes a game with a capitalistic nature. This is mainly due to different understandings and the various teams that can be formed within the organization based on this consensus.
Daniel
BitFuture - Founder of Blockchain Capital and DeepDAO Advisor
In my mind, DAO is like the democratization of "everyone can become a superstar" on current web2 social platforms. Everyone can be a creator and publish their own works on platforms like Bilibili or other platforms. Then everyone can utilize the works posted by others on social platforms, which can be considered as public resources, for their own creations. In this way, everyone can freely utilize and create resources. Becoming famous in web2, like being a small KOL, is something that the older generation doesn't understand. In DAO, everyone can participate in governance, but people still feel unfamiliar with this identity. In summary, DAO is a digitally native organizational form that effectively utilizes resources through collaboration. The sharing of resources will flow among roles such as civil servants, politicians, and trustees, and what we need to do is to lower the threshold for people to enter or participate.
PART 3: What has your experience of participating in DAO brought to you
Liu Yisi
MaskNetwork CTO & Co-founder
I have participated in many DAOs, but I feel that it is not necessary. I have been in this industry for many years, and the original intention of working on Mask is to empower users to have sovereignty over their own data and protect their privacy in cyberspace. However, privacy needs to be realized in the physical world as well, which is on the aspect of identity. It's more accurate to say that what they are doing is about identity rather than social. Simply knowing someone's name does not allow us to understand them well. Only the data on their identity is the key to understanding them, and with this data, privacy can be defined. Many people now talk about creating public goods, but no one has ever defined what is public. Instead of defining what is public, we will help define what is private. We will provide users with a "tool" at the foundation, and then they can express their own ideas.
Dr. Sun
Sociologist, Founder of comupage
This is a very crucial issue. We use familiar methods, such as interest groups or clubs in college, which is a way of life. How do we understand today's occasion? It is a purpose of our way of life, not a means. Of course, in our lives, many social organizations (environmental organizations), they are very moral, which is a characteristic, and it is also a part of our public life. It may be difficult for us to define what public life is. Let's not discuss the meaning of it for now, but discussions on public issues are very important for the quality of life.
Li Yongfeng
Founder of OpenSquare
The most anticipated part is fair governance. With fairness, various governance methods emerge. Fairness is not an optimal solution. If choosing fairness causes losses, I hope there is an exit mechanism. Regarding techniques, besides public voting, a combination of proxy systems and direct democracy is a way.
Annabella
CMO of zCloak Network
In my opinion, DAO is a change in production relations, such as what kind of production is suitable for the DAO model. For example, if you are screwing screws in a factory, the assembly line is not suitable to be managed by the DAO model. DAO will make you choose between efficiency and creativity, and may generate different sparks.
Things with abundant creativity are very suitable to exist in the form of DAO. Because in DAO, your opinions will not be easily buried, and there are many ways to support each other and listen to others' opinions. So, I hope that in the future, there will be more new things generated in collisions.
PART 4 How DAO achieves trust and decentralization
Dr. Sun
Sociologist, founder of comupage
The key here is authenticity, which means being true to oneself, that is, the authentication of who you are. We determine who you are through a large number of events, just like the guests and the audience present. If there is a better ZK system or other authentication systems, we may become friends more quickly.
The first word in DAO is decentralized, which has caused a lot of controversy and misunderstanding. In fact, it can be translated as autonomy or networked. It doesn't necessarily mean removing the center. In fact, it is a continuously fractal structure. If everyone starts from autonomy, network, and the relationship between network nodes, it will be easier to understand. This networked, self-organized, and fluid way of life can have a better conversation with the current Web2.
About governance, we should try to avoid words like "state" and "sovereignty" because they are very Western. China focuses on the concept of "all under heaven" where there are no external entities, while "state" requires distinguishing between enemies and ourselves, and distinguishing between nations, which can lead to a lot of wars. If we adopt the concept of "all under heaven," it is more likely to have a non-violent legitimacy order.
PART 5: What are the current pain points in trust within DAOs, and is the trust crisis soluble?
Annabella
zCloak Network CMO
I believe that not only DAOs need trust and reputation, but it is also needed by the entire human society because it carries many interpersonal relationships. As for how to establish a system of trust and reputation within a DAO, ZCloak, as an infrastructure, aims to meet the concepts and ideas of web3 and improve its interoperability. Trust is decentralized, dispersed from a central authority to multiple smaller ones, but eventually trust may return to an aggregated state. Everyone has different categorizations of trust, credit, and reputation. It is hoped that there can be a subsystem that can accommodate all evaluation systems or judgment criteria. This would be a breakthrough.
After listening to the discussion about Zuzalu, it reminds me of an idea I had when I was in college, even before knowing about network state and the concept of Zuzalu. I hope that one day I can live and work in different places, not confined to just one city, and have the opportunity to change the environment and interact with different people from time to time. From a cultural perspective, this also promotes innovation because creativity tends to decline when staying in one place for a long time. New things arise when different cultures merge and interact.
PART 6: How to improve the ecosystem of DAOs
Liu Yisi
MaskNetwork CTO & Co-founder
I think "everyone can become a leader in a DAO" is a fascinating phenomenon. Many times, there are always people waiting for someone to lead them in a DAO, rather than becoming the leader themselves. This may be a transitional period from a corporate structure to this different form of organization. It is actually a big problem. In DAOs, many people have never really led a project or tried to take advantage of the free resources within the DAO. They are just governed and led by others.
Daniel
FutureBit - Founder of Blockchain Capital & DeepDAO Co-founder & Advisor
DAO is an early and novel organization, in fact, many people don't know what to do in DAO. In DAO, you often hear the term "leaderless organization," but this concept is not applicable in DAO. Because the relationships within DAO are more flat, there is no hierarchy. Instead of saying it is leaderless, it is better to say that everyone is their own leader and has ownership. For example, if we visit a place and accidentally spill something on the floor, we won't wait for someone else to clean it up, but rather take care of it ourselves. Everyone participates spontaneously to make the space better, this is the ideal state of DAO.
Dr. Sun
Sociologist, Founder of Comupage
I want to give two examples. The first example is when someone organizes a summer camp. The organizers provide food and accommodation, and you and your friends go there directly to have fun. Although it is interesting, there is no sharing element, and it feels boring. The second example is when I organized a mini Zuzalu on a farm. Everyone brings food to share, and there are collaborative workshops. All the organization is internally generated, rather than being organized by external people. There is no external intervention, only internal value flow. I want to compare the centralized leadership management community with the decentralized organization with spontaneous productivity using these two examples.
The Bitcoin network is the only decentralized ecosystem where no one disappears or has incidents. I remember posting an emoji on Twitter and feeling that WeChat is a DAO. Because there are a large number of people producing their own content in small groups or business groups, but it lacks public and accessible resources. Therefore, the ecology we want to build may be a network or state. We can eliminate management and jurisdiction, create digitally native, low entry barrier organizations. In order to collaborate better within the organization, resources will be repositioned, tokenized, and used as the first layer of narrative, layer by layer building new things.
