As outlined in the Operating Manual, a persistent Council or Board is expected to continue into the next Season unless a Dissolution proposal is approved. The Foundation is proposing the dissolution of the Developer Advisory Board.
This proposal is not related to the dedication, intentions, or contributions of Board members. We thank all former and current Developer Advisory Board members for their contributions to the Collective over the years, theyâve played a very valuable role in our experimentation with decentralized protocol upgrades.
Name of Council or Board: Developer Advisory Board
Current Charter: OPerating-manual/Developer Advisory Board Charter v1.1.md at main ¡ ethereum-optimism/OPerating-manual ¡ GitHub
Reason for Dissolution Proposal:
The Developer Advisory Board was established under the Council and Board Framework to provide technical input for granta applications and governance proposals. After multiple seasons of operation, the Foundation has assessed that the current set of Councils and Boards creates coordination friction without proportional benefit to the broader ecosystem.
While developer input remains essential to the Collectiveâs success, the Foundation doesnât believe a formalized Board structure is necessary. One of the main purposes outlined in the DABâs Charter was to enable non-technical delegates to understand protocol upgrades. With rapid advances in artificial intelligence, we believe non-technical delegates are now sufficiently empowered to understand the implications of technical proposals without a dedicated Board required to fulfill this role. While the Developer Advisory Board served an important function, it also creates additional overhead and complicates engineering timelines and processes. With the shift to OP Enterprise, Chains can also apply more discretion in adopting upgrades and may exercise more power outside governance (e.g. self-hosting), further limiting the need for a dedicated technical Board.
As a result, the Foundation is proposing the dissolution of the Developer Advisory Board. Over time, the Optimism Collective has operated with an increasingly complex Council and Board structure that was designed to distribute governance responsibilities during an earlier phase of the Collectiveâs development. As the Collective matures, the Foundation is proposing a series of changes to reduce structural overhead, streamline decision-making, and improve the speed and quality of grants deployment. Dissolving any non-mission critical Boards, such as the Developer Advisory Boards, is a necessary step toward that streamlined vision.
The Foundation will continue to facilitate a decentralized protocol upgrade process via Optimism governance and will engage developers and technical contributors through alternative mechanisms, such as working groups, request-for-comment processes, and informal consultation.
We thank all members of the Developer Advisory Board, from Season 5-9 for your contributions in this ongoing experiment. Youâve played an important role in the evolution of the Collectiveâs understanding of decentralized protocol upgrades.
Action Required
Token House delegates are asked to vote For or Against the formal dissolution of the Developer Advisory Board.The Citizensâ House will not vote as it has been temporarily paused.
A âForâ vote approves dissolution of the Developer Advisory Board, effective immediately. In the case of an âAgainstâ vote, a prospective Lead would need to propose a budget in the next voting cycle and recruit candidates to nominate themselves to be members. The Foundation will not provide operational support or facilitate coordination with core teams.
Proposals by the Foundation donât require delegate approvals. If this proposal is approved, it will supersede any documentation referencing the Board and the Board will be dissolved effective immediately. The Foundation will work with the Board to complete offboarding, as needed.