We have voted ABSTAIN on the Scaling v4 and Supporting Unichain Tally Vote. We would like to start by reiterating that we believe Oku has been a longstanding partner of the DAO, and are supportive of the strategic value they bring. This vote is incredibly important not only because it revolves around v4 tech but it is the first time a for-profit front-end has requested licensing approval from the DAO. The design of how the DAO grants, manages and approves v4 licensing sets an important precedent for any other front end providers, not just Oku, who request licensing exemptions in the future.
The current design grants Oku the ability to deploy v4 to any chain, provided they have received approval from the UAC. We are questioning whether this is the right approach long-term. In a future where multiple front ends will request and receive license exemptions, are there any long-tail risks that will be unaccounted for? Does the UAC have standing to approve/deny a license under its current structure? What happens if the UAC is dissolved in the future?
How should the DAO establish a licensing structure that prioritizes long-term alignment, growth/scaling, and risk mitigation? In our opinion, the DAO should own, manage and ultimately approve exemptions under an entity or structure that retains accountability to the DAO, whether through the UAC (if possible) or another DAO-owned entity. This entity could still contract a service provider for deployment support but would keep deployments and DAO accountability under an operational entity owned/aligned with the DAO.
Here is the design flow as we understand it under the proposed structure vs a potential revised structure
Scaled Version of Current Proposed Implementation
DAO-Owned Implementation
While approval flow remains similar with approvals moving through the UAC or a similar entity, there is a key difference in where the ownership of the exemption lies.
We believe this is an important discussion that should be had amongst delegates and would appreciate any thoughts/feedback from the legal specialists in the DAO.
cc: @Nistler @drllau_LexDAO