Tomasz Stanczak

ETHGlobal · Oct 7, 2025

Dive into the cutting-edge world of AI-enabled blockchain governance with Tomasz Stanczak of Nethermind, recorded live at the Agentic Ethereum 2025 Summit. In this talk, Tomasz unveils ChaosChain, a bold experiment in agentic governance where LLMs (large language models), on-chain decision-making, and evolutionary rule-sets converge. Discover how slowing block times for deeper consensus, flexible “Code is Law” interpretations, and AI-driven upgrades could redefine how decentralized networks evolve. Whether you’re a developer, researcher, or simply excited by the future of Ethereum and next-generation DAOs, this session offers a glimpse into how AI, trustless consensus, and community collaboration might shape tomorrow’s most innovative blockchains. Join us to learn how you can participate in ChaosChain research, contribute ideas, and help forge the next frontier in agentic, AI-powered governance. Like and subscribe for more talks on decentralized governance, smart contract innovation, and the next wave of blockchain technology! 00:00 Intro to ChaosChain & Agentic Governance 00:50 Origins of ChaosChain and AI-Driven Governance 01:57 Exploring Agents, LLMs, and Decentralized Decision-Making 03:07 Code is Law vs Flexible Governance Models 04:14 Slowing Block Times for On-Chain Consensus 05:27 Evolving Blockchain Rules with Agentic Governance 06:41 Reward Mechanisms and Fair Launch Concepts 07:43 Challenges and Risks of AI-Powered Governance 08:22 Future Directions and Community Collaboration 08:54 Closing Thoughts on ChaosChain _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🤖 *Agentic Ethereum 2025 Summit* Join the official Agentic Ethereum 2025 Summit for an in-depth look at AI agents, smart contracts, and how they converge to power the next era of decentralized intelligence. This is more than just a summit—it's a gathering of the brightest minds in our ecosystem, and we're honored to have Andrew Miller, Anna Kazlauskas, Davide Crapis, dcbuilder, Ed Felten, Erik Voorhees, Illia Polosukhin, Jasper Zhang, Karl Floersch, Ken Ng, Kevin Owocki, Linda Xie, Shaw, Tomasz Stanczak, Chase Allred and Vitalik Buterin and on stage for this virtual summit focused around AI Agents and Blockchain! Watch the full Agentic Ethereum 2025 Summit Playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh6DrYO4ORk8wzQ5wCZDs0mW&si=ARqB9gaXAqehWH1_ 🤖 *Agentic Ethereum 2025* Agentic Ethereum is an online, async hackathon that runs from Jan. 31 to Feb. 12, 2025. With over $175,000 USD in prizes, Agentic Ethereum is a great way to dive into the world of autonomous AI agents and explore how they can revolutionize projects on Ethereum. Start the year with groundbreaking innovation! Watch the full playlist: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh7jxP_flgRf5nZ_WDgFpBy3&si=RZozbd9C5KrG6Bf3 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ Follow Tomasz K. Stańczak X: https://x.com/tkstanczak ✅ Follow Nethermind X: https://x.com/NethermindEth Website: https://www.nethermind.io ✅ Follow Kartik Talwar X: https://x.com/therealkartik Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/kartik ✅ Follow ETHGlobal X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ETHGlobal _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Are you interested in Ethereum development and entrepreneurship? 👉 Sign up for the next ETHGlobal event: https://ethglobal.com/events 🎁 Get exclusive access and perks with ETHGlobal Plus! https://ethglobal.com/plus 📣 Want us to throw an event in your city? Tell us where! https://ethglobal.com/city _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Vitalik Buterin, Kartik Talwar

ETHGlobal · Oct 7, 2025

In this fireside chat at Pragma Prague 2025, Kartik Talwar (co-founder of ETH Global) and Vitalik Buterin (Ethereum co-founder) dive deep into the challenges and future of DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations). They discuss governance flaws, transparency issues, decision-making inefficiencies, and the need for experimentation in decentralized structures. Key topics include AI in DAOs, privacy in governance, multi-level decision-making, and how to improve funding allocation. A must-watch for blockchain builders, DAO enthusiasts, and anyone interested in decentralized governance. 00:00 - Introduction: Kartik Talwar & Vitalik Buterin Fireside Chat 00:55 - Challenges of Working with DAOs as an Organization 01:31 - Decline in DAO Experimentation Among Hackers 02:12 - Transparency & Negotiation Issues in DAO Governance 03:15 - Why DAOs Have Stalled in Innovation 04:35 - Problems with Public Forums in DAO Decision-Making 05:39 - DAOs vs. Traditional Companies in Decision Efficiency 06:52 - Gitcoin & Akita Token Case Study on DAO Weaknesses 07:24 - Why DAOs Are Stuck in a "Fork Compound" Mindset 08:39 - Regulatory Pressures & Compliance in DAO Structures 10:19 - Shift Away from Operational Decentralization 11:32 - Separating Organizational Structure from Legal Form 12:48 - Hierarchical vs. Flat Governance in DAOs 14:03 - Why DAOs Are Necessary: DeFi & ENS Use Cases 15:32 - Oracle Security & DAO Accountability in DeFi 17:19 - Strategic vs. Routine Decisions in DAOs 18:26 - Concave vs. Convex Decision-Making in Governance 19:51 - Three Types of DAOs: Data, Funds, & Protocol Steering 21:36 - Rethinking DAO Governance from First Principles 22:09 - Problems with Public Discourse in DAO Negotiations 23:26 - Specialization & SubDAOs for Better Decision-Making 24:38 - Should DAOs Allow Open Participation by Default? 25:24 - Long-Term Bets vs. Short-Term Outcomes in DAOs 27:17 - Enabling Radical Bets in DAO Governance 28:25 - Accountability & Preventing Misallocation in DAOs 29:02 - Decentralized Accountability vs. Centralized Evaluation 31:25 - Privacy & Communication Structures in DAO Governance 32:39 - Preventing Internal & External Capture in DAOs 34:59 - AI’s Role in DAOs: Execution vs. Preference Aggregation 37:28 - Modular Governance: Plugins for Existing DAO Contracts 38:54 - Limits & Accountability in DAO Fund Allocation 40:03 - DeFi Protocol Risks: Token Holders vs. TVL Security 42:35 - DAO Treasury Management: Spending vs. Sustainability 44:33 - Privacy Solutions for DAO Grant Distribution 45:12 - Reopening the Overton Window in DAO Design 46:29 - Voter Attention & Delegation in DAO Governance 47:50 - AI as a Tool, Not a King, in DAO Decision-Making 49:35 - AI Summaries vs. AI-Driven Execution in DAOs 50:54 - Preference Aggregation & Autonomous Execution 52:45 - GDPR, Privacy, & AI in DAO Governance 54:21 - AI DAOs: Balancing Autonomy & Accountability 55:26 - Revisiting "The DAO" (2016) & Lessons Learned 57:21 - Long-Term Investments vs. Short-Term DAO Expectations 59:56 - R&D in DAOs: Funding High-Risk, High-Reward Projects 1:01:14 - DeFi Protocol Treasury Management Strategies 1:04:23 - Preventing DAO Leadership from Self-Enrichment 1:06:00 - Succession Planning in DAO Governance 1:07:16 - Key Takeaways: Privacy, AI, & Multi-Level Governance 1:10:16 - The Doge of Venice: Multi-Level Election Systems 1:10:59 - Final Thoughts: Encouraging DAO Experimentation _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇨🇿 *Pragma Prague* Pragma Prague 2025 was held on May 29th at Holešovice Market in Prague, Czech Republic and was an in-person summit for builders and leaders in the web3 ecosystem. This event was in collaboration with ETH Prague. Watch the full Pragma Prague YouTube Playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh7vLS72NelQ2dOx2VgPNxJZ&si=uwzTuItQTdcQqkTE ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ Follow Vitalik Buterin X: https://x.com/VitalikButerin ✅ Follow the Ethereum Foundation X: https://x.com/ethereumfndn ✅ Follow Kartik Talwar X: https://x.com/TheRealKartik ✅ Follow ETHGlobal X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCfF9ZO8Ug4xk_AJd4aeT5HA _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Are you interested in Ethereum development and entrepreneurship? 👉 Sign up for the next ETHGlobal event: https://ethglobal.com/events 🎁 Get exclusive access and perks with ETHGlobal Plus! https://ethglobal.com/plus 📣 Want us to throw an event in your city? Tell us where! https://ethglobal.com/city _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

ETHGlobal · Oct 7, 2025

Anthony Leutenegger from Aragon discusses the evolution and future of onchain governance for DAOs, focusing on growing and securing decentralized networks. He critiques the limitations of referendum-based, cookie-cutter governance models, highlighting issues like regulatory uncertainty, slow decision-making, and misaligned incentives. Anthony advocates for modular, flexible governance frameworks that separate powers and responsibilities, such as optimistic governance and veto mechanisms, enabling both protocol defense and growth. He introduces Aragon’s modular governance UI and the rise of the VE gauge model (token value accrual kit), which incentivizes long-term participation and aligns token holder interests through locking mechanisms and voting gauges. Real-world examples include Lido’s dual governance, Curve, Aerodrome, and new chains like Katana. Anthony emphasizes the importance of thoughtful, adaptable governance to meet regulatory demands and foster sustainable, value-driven DAOs. 00:00 Introduction 00:36 Conference Location & Opening Remarks 00:56 The Promise and Problems of Blockchain Governance 02:14 Regulatory Uncertainty & Misaligned Incentives 03:31 Centralization vs. Decentralization in Practice 04:53 The Status Quo & Regulatory Trends 06:24 What Should Be Decentralized? Immutability, Automation, AI 07:17 Governance as Defense and Offense 08:13 Optimistic Governance & Separation of Powers 09:47 Aragon’s Modular Governance Approach 11:54 Lido’s Optimistic Dual Governance Example 13:04 Defensive Governance: Protecting Protocols and Users 13:24 Offensive Governance: Incentive Alignment & Grant Programs 14:01 The VE Gauge Model & Token Value Accrual 15:27 Growth Flywheel & Participation Incentives 16:48 Benefits: Anti-Whale, Skin in the Game, Modularity 17:50 Real-World Use Cases: Mods, Aerodrome, Curve 19:10 Token Locking vs. Burn Mechanisms 19:43 New Adoptions: Celo, Puffer, Katana 20:26 Open Source Toolkit & Closing Thoughts 21:09 Final Advice & Conclusion _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇫🇷 *Pragma Cannes* Pragma Cannes 2025 was held on July 3rd at the Carlton Cannes in Cannes, France and was an in-person summit for builders and leaders in the web3 ecosystem. Watch the full Pragma Cannes YouTube Playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh6jZYPY5-YIBzvMtUT3ajjI ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ Follow Aragon X: https://x.com/AragonProject ✅ Follow ETHGlobal X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCfF9ZO8Ug4xk_AJd4aeT5HA _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Are you interested in Ethereum development and entrepreneurship? 👉 Sign up for the next ETHGlobal event: https://ethglobal.com/events 🎁 Get exclusive access and perks with ETHGlobal Plus! https://ethglobal.com/plus 📣 Want us to throw an event in your city? Tell us where! https://ethglobal.com/city _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Robin Berjon

Web3 Summit 2024 · Aug 20, 2024

Many of us have spent years imagining a better internet that works for people. But our efforts tend to be scattered, improving one problem or iterating on one technological component, but not considering what global digital architecture should we assemble if we take seriously the idea that the internet should be public interest technology. This talk tries to take on that question. The chances are good that I'm wrong, but I hope to be usefully wrong. The video features a speaker discussing the concept of accountability in decision-making systems, illustrated by a historical incident involving the mishandling of imported ground squirrels at a Dutch airport. The speaker explains how this event exemplifies an "accountability sink," where no one could be held responsible due to the delegation of decision-making to a set of rules. The talk delves into the importance of feedback loops in governance systems, the challenge of creating autonomous decision-making systems that can adapt to real-world complexities, and the political nature inherent in designing these systems. The speaker emphasizes the responsibility technologists have in shaping rules that govern our interactions and the potential consequences of failing to consider these aspects carefully. They argue that rule-based systems are inherently incomplete due to the unpredictable nature of reality, necessitating human intervention for unforeseen situations. The presentation concludes by highlighting the difficulty in making decisions with no clear right answer and challenges the notion that technology alone can solve complex problems without considering political implications.

Simona Pop

ETHGlobal · Oct 7, 2023

Simona Pop shares hard-earned lessons from years of active DAO participation, offering a candid look into what works—and what doesn't—in decentralized governance. In this fireside conversation at Pragma Lisbon 2023, Simona reflects on her recent departure from Gitcoin’s Steward Council, explores the evolution of DAO culture since the 2020 boom, and discusses the need for new governance structures, values alignment, and decision-making clarity. She emphasizes the importance of intentional design, standardized proposal flows, and the shift from extractive mindsets to collaborative contributions. Whether you're starting a DAO or contributing to one, this talk offers invaluable insights into how DAOs can evolve to fulfill their promise of pluralistic value creation and effective coordination. 00:00 Intro to Simona Pop and DAO governance 01:19 Stepping down from Gitcoin Steward Council 02:52 Role in Gitcoin governance and Shelling Point 05:25 DAO boom of 2020 and early experimentation 07:19 Why Simona still believes in the promise of DAOs 10:01 Challenges and exhaustion in building new systems 11:15 DAO impact beyond finance: public goods and education 13:11 Funding use cases from scholarships to security 14:44 Repeating old patterns with new DAO facades 16:20 The problem with tooling without clear processes 17:43 Rubber-stamp voting and loss of clarity 19:38 Decision-making transparency vs shadow processes 21:03 Delegate power, vote timing, and influence issues 22:09 Working with DAOs vs working for them 23:36 DAO facades and power imbalances 25:41 What successful DAOs could look like in 2023 27:38 Standardized proposal formats and flow design 30:17 Cadence, clarity, and interoperability of talent 33:11 Value alignment and knowing when to walk away 34:56 Token clout vs true intention in DAO participation 36:21 Unlearning extraction: toward genuine collaboration 37:37 Change, loss, and emotional realities of DAO work _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 🇵🇹 *Pragma Lisbon* Pragma Lisbon 2023 took place at Casa do Alentejo on May 11, 2023, and was an in-person summit for builders and leaders in the web3 ecosystem. Pragma is a one-stage conference with founders-only on stage, bringing together a small group of curated attendees and speakers to discuss the future of web3 and reflect on the past. Watch the full Pragma Lisbon 2023 playlist here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXzKMXK2aHh7nuyBq4GojkgAhqoRtsi9K&si=pYS-TR5BOQSZ3YGi ETHGlobal's Pragma series takes place in cities around the world, and is designed to be a different kind of event. Ever since we first introduced our new event series, Pragma, in Tokyo in the spring of 2023, we have been fostering a curated, global community of individuals who deeply care about web3. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ✅ *Follow Simona Pop* X: https://x.com/Sim_Pop ✅ *Follow Kartik Talwar* X: https://x.com/therealkartik Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/kartik ✅ *Follow ETHGlobal* X: https://x.com/ETHGlobal​ Warpcast: https://warpcast.com/ethglobal Website: https://ethglobal.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ETHGlobal _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _Are you interested in Ethereum development and entrepreneurship?_ 👉 Sign up for the next ETHGlobal event: https://ethglobal.com/events 🎁 Get exclusive access and perks with ETHGlobal Plus! https://ethglobal.com/plus 📣 Want us to throw an event in your city? Tell us where! https://ethglobal.com/city _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _