Governance Weekly Recap

[Boardroom]

Week of July 29th, 2024

Recent Proposals

• Code of Conduct Council Elections

  • Summary: The proposal outlines the election process for the Code of Conduct Council members following the approval of the Operating Budget by the Token House. Five members will be elected to the Season 6 Council through approval voting, where delegates can vote for any number of nominees, including themselves, as long as they vote for the remaining positions. The candidates for this election include Bubli.eth, CryptoReuMD, JuanRah, Oxytocin, NazreAssad, Gabriel29, Pumbi, fujiar, gospelofchange, Gus, alexsotodigital, and eve633.

  • Proposer: Optimism Foundation

  • Status: Voting in progress

Forum Highlights

• Context for OP Labs Retro Funding Proposal

  In a recent forum post by OP Labs’ co-founder and CEO, Karl, the context behind requesting Retro Funding for the Custom Gas Token feature in the OP Stack round was discussed. The post underscores the necessity of solving the public goods funding problem to realize Ethereum’s vision. By leveraging Retroactive Public Goods Funding (Retro Funding), OP Labs aims to create a sustainable incentive loop to maintain decentralization and make open source contributions economically sensible. This approach is seen as pivotal for demonstrating that impact equals profit and proving the viability of Retro Funding as a business model for open source software development. The Custom Gas Token feature, developed without a grant, marks OP Labs’ initial step towards this ambitious vision, fostering community feedback and engagement to ensure the success of this initiative.

• Progress Report: Optimism Gov and RPGF into University Courses

  The forum post provides a detailed Progress Report on the inclusion of Optimism Governance (Optimism Gov) and Retroactive Public Goods Funding (RPGF) modules into university courses. It highlights the successful implementation of a comprehensive blockchain education module at Universidad Continental, covering topics such as DeFi, NFT, and Web3 business models over two semesters. The initiative included guest lectures from Optimism Delegates and integration into regional congresses focused on decentralized economy and blockchain for economics students. Additionally, the post mentions the use of attestation schemas for tracking student participation and the development of a Dune dashboard for transparency. Plans for expanding the program to another university and continuing participation in regional congresses are also outlined.

• From COSTA RICA to the SUPERCHAIN

  The forum post announces the completion of Costa Rica’s first university-level blockchain module, celebrating 25 graduates. As part of their graduation requirements, students presented final projects through video pitches. The post introduces eight standout projects: Merkle Tree Airdrop, Web3 Affiliate Marketing, Web3 Grades Manager, Fitness Dapp, Web3 Bets, Decentralized WAZE, Superchain Donations, and a Web3 Game. Submission guidelines emphasize clear project titles, concise descriptions, team member details, and video pitch links. An example format provided illustrates a detailed description for a “Decentralized Voting System for National Elections,” encouraging similar submissions from graduates.

• Superhack, the largest Superchain Hackathon Begins Tomorrow!

  Superhack, the largest Superchain Hackathon, begins tomorrow! The event will gather nearly 1,000 developers supported by numerous Superchain Eco members, aiming to innovate within the Superchain ecosystem over two weeks. With over $200,000 in prizes and potential future funding opportunities, participants will receive extensive support from the community, including prominent teams such as Base, Optimism, and Worldcoin. Interested developers are encouraged to apply, while others can follow along via livestream for all significant activities.

• Comment thread for governance docs related to Citizenship, identity and reputation

  Emily opened a discussion thread to provide a space for questions and comments on the governance documents related to Citizenship, identity, and reputation within the Optimism community. The post includes links to essential governance documents, covering topics such as identity and reputation, identity within the collective, attestations best practices, citizenship selection, and experimentation with citizenship. This initiative aims to foster community engagement and gather feedback due to the absence of a direct comment feature on the governance documents themselves.

• Code of Conduct Council S6 Election Town Hall

  The forum post announces the election town hall for the Season 6 Code of Conduct Council, highlighting the self-nominated candidates. The town hall is scheduled for July 30th, during which each nominee will have 60 seconds to answer a question from the Foundation. The post details the key performance indicators (KPIs) for the council, focusing on reporter experience and overall performance. It also invites delegates to submit questions for the nominees and mentions the election timeline, with assessments until July 31st and voting from August 1st to August 7th.

• Token Engineering the Superchain

  The forum post invites OP badgeholders and delegates to test hybrid funding experiments aimed at promoting token engineering within the Optimism and Superchain ecosystems. The initiative will run from August through December 2024 and features a two-round approach: an initial Tunable Quadratic Funding (TQF) round followed by a Retroactive Funding round. Key components include enhancing participation of badgeholders, leveraging a new capital allocation mechanism, and integrating community and impact-driven funding strategies. Community members are encouraged to track the live funding rounds on Gitcoin and engage with the Token Engineering Commons for ongoing updates and involvement opportunities in building trustworthy blockchain systems.

• [Request for Feedback] Evaluating the Influence of Houses, Councils, and Committees(HCCs) in Optimism Collective

  In a recent forum post, the Optimism community was invited to contribute to evaluating the influence of Houses, Councils, and Committees (HCCs) within the Optimism Collective. The initiative, driven by a Foundation’s Mission Request, aims to assess the concentration of power among HCCs using the HCC Influence Analyzer. This tool evaluates influence based on six parameters: Decision Making Authority, Scope of Influence, Community Engagement, Operational Independence, Voting Power, and Veto Power. Community members are encouraged to use the analyzer to rate HCC entities, contributing to a transparent and well-informed assessment of power dynamics in the ecosystem. Participants can access the HCC Influence Analyzer through the provided link and reach out with any questions for further clarification. The team looks forward to active participation to enhance the robustness and transparency of Optimism.

• Bleu seeks community feedback about how to proceed in “Tech Partner of OP Native Projects”

  Bleu Builders, the “Tech Partner of OP Native Projects”, is seeking community input on their proposed path forward. Despite their grant being approved, they haven’t received project assignments from the Grants Council due to its high workload. Bleu proposes to split their services: 50% for existing grantees and 50% for projects they independently select based on criteria like open-source nature, relevance, impact, and technical feasibility. They suggest deducting the time spent on project selection from the grant hours. Bleu seeks feedback on this approach, particularly on the 50/50 service split and selection criteria. They plan to review community feedback, summarize key points, and share a list of potential grantees next week.

• Retro Funding 5: Expert voting experiment

  The forum post titled “Retro Funding 5: Expert Voting Experiment” discusses an initiative where voters are divided into subgroups randomly for equal representation, sparking curiosity and excitement among participants. Joan raises questions about the rationale behind random sampling instead of allowing voters to choose preferred categories, and hypothesizes that effective interaction between experts and non-experts could elevate the voting quality. Joan also anticipates that such engagement could improve overall voter knowledge, contingent on conducive conditions for collaborative exchange.

• Retro Funding 5: OP Stack - round details

  In the detailed forum post “Retro Funding 5: OP Stack - round details,” the author outlines the specifics of the fifth round of Retroactive Public Goods Funding (RPGF) by Optimism. The post breaks down the achievements and challenges faced throughout the allocation process. Highlights include substantial performance improvements for key decentralized finance (DeFi) projects, like Aerodrome, and an overall assessment aimed at refining future funding strategies to maximize the return on investment and ensure responsible resource distribution.

Upcoming Votes

1 Proposals live at the time of writing this report, no upcoming proposals detected

[sharp3]

Great updates, thank you

[Boardroom]

Week of August 19th, 2024

Recent Proposals

• Security Council Elections Cohort A Members

  • Summary: Following the Security Council Charter, the Token House will conduct elections for Cohort A of the Optimism Security Council. The top six candidates will be elected for a 12-month term, with confirmation by the Foundation. If a candidate is not confirmed, the runner-up will take their place. Approval voting will be used, allowing delegates to vote for any number of nominees, including themselves if they also vote for other positions. Nominees include individuals such as Jepsen, ethernaut, ryscheng, and organizations like Node Guardians and Uniswap Foundation. This process aims to ensure no more than one member is associated with a single entity, maintaining diverse representation.

  • Proposer: Optimism Foundation

  • Status: Voting in progress

• Security Council Elections: Cohort A Lead

  • Summary: The Optimism Security Council is holding elections for Cohort A to appoint a Council Lead as per the Security Council Charter. The election, for which the candidate town hall recording is available, requires a minimum of 51% of quorum in yes votes for approval. Participants are encouraged to abstain if they do not support the candidate. This proposal, featuring alisha.eth, is part of Voting Cycle #26 and remains active until the specified end time.

  • Proposer: Optimism Foundation

  • Status: Voting in progress

• Upgrade Proposal #10: Granite Network Upgrade

  • Summary: Upgrade Proposal #10, titled “Granite Network Upgrade,” addresses security vulnerabilities found during third-party audits by Spearbit, Cantina, and Code4rena. Although no assets were at risk, the proposed upgrades include essential smart contract updates and an L2 hardfork to enhance the fault proof system’s stability and performance. Additional capabilities for the Guardian and DeputyGuardian will prevent invalid anchor state references. Primarily, this upgrade also aims to reset user withdrawals at a planned time. The Granite code is complete in the optimism monorepo at commit a81de910dc2fd9b2f67ee946466f2de70d62611a and op-geth at commit 0f5b9dcfd2ac66f6fd8faae526b1549721f5f392, and is now eligible for Voting Cycle #26. If approved by the Token House, it will move to a veto period in the Citizens’ House.

  • Proposer: Optimism Foundation

  • Status: Voting in progress

Forum Highlights

• Proposal Title: Rolling Mission Requests

  The forum post proposes allowing the Optimism Grants Council to generate rolling Mission Requests to engage more developers and further the objectives of Intent 3A. With 1.725 million OP tokens approved but unallocated, the council aims to utilize this budget effectively by initiating new missions from Voting Cycle #27. Each mission requires sponsorship by a Grants Council member and will undergo a structured submission and approval process, ensuring transparency and timely execution. The proposal outlines a timeline for implementation with approvals starting in Cycle 26 and subsequent submissions and votes in Cycles 27 through 29. The initiative aims to continuously attract developers and leverage unallocated funds to bolster the Optimism ecosystem.

• Upgrade Proposal #10: Granite Network Upgrade

  The Granite Network Upgrade (Upgrade Proposal #10) aims to enhance the Optimism ecosystem by addressing security vulnerabilities found in smart contracts and the fault-proof system. Conducted by OP Labs, the proposed upgrade follows audits by Spearbit, Cantina, and Code4rena, identifying no exploited vulnerabilities but urging precautionary measures. Key improvements include smart contract patches, L2 hardfork to stabilize fault proofs, and expanded Guardian roles, impacting L1 contracts and client software. The rollout is scheduled for September 10th, with node operators required to update their software to prevent chain splits, ensuring higher security and system performance.

• Cycle 26 Grants Preliminary Review Report

  The Cycle 26 Preliminary Review wrapped up with a report on the receipt and assessment of 29 new applications and 24 carryovers from the previous cycle. A preliminary cutoff of 30 points was set, and not a single reviewer missed a milestone, thanks to the exceptional efforts of operations lead, Bunnic. The Developer Advisory Board provided invaluable feedback, enriching the reviewers’ evaluation process. The finalists for Cycle 25 will be announced on Wednesday. Special acknowledgment was given to the Grants Council for their dedication and hard work, making this cycle a success. For further details, access their public database.

• Security Council Member Nomination: Emiliano Bonassi

  Emiliano Bonassi has announced his candidacy for a position as a member of the Optimism Security Council. Emphasizing his individual candidacy and residence in Italy, he details his lack of prior experience on the Security Council but highlights his extensive contributions to the Optimism ecosystem. This includes maintaining and upgrading numerous mainnets and addressing codebase issues. Bonassi brings valuable experience from web3 security, having worked on significant security upgrades and protocols, as well as from his tenure at Amazon Web Services. He underscores that an effective Security Council member requires a blend of deep technical expertise, exceptional communication skills, and a proactive approach to security challenges. He confirms no conflicts of interest and understands the responsibilities and commitment required for the role.

• Superchain Grants Review Process

  The Grants Council has launched the review process for the Season 6 Superchain Grants Program. This process, designed to ensure grant allocations foster the Superchain’s growth, involves a stringent evaluation of each grant proposal through 15 specific criteria. Proposals must receive affirmatives for at least 14 criteria to be considered. Priority is given to live chains contributing to sequencer revenue, although non-live chains nearing launch may be considered towards the end of the cycle if the budget allows. The maximum grant cap is set at 3 million OP, but applicants should realistically align their requests with their expected impact. The Council emphasizes collaboration and sustainability, reflecting a commitment to excellence and the Superchain’s success.

• Optimism Fractal Season 4

  Optimism Fractal is returning from its summer break to kick off Season 4, beginning with events on August 15th. The season will debut with the “Respect Game,” fostering collaboration within the Superchain and enhancing the community’s reputation within the Optimism Collective. The first Optimism Town Hall will feature an open discussion on the past seasons’ achievements, updates from the break, goals for Season 4, and future topics. Community members are encouraged to participate, share thoughts, and contribute to the Optimistic Vision. For more information and to collaborate, visit the provided links and resources.

• Optimism Forum Weekly Recap - daospace: 08/12 - 08/18

  The latest weekly recap on the Optimism forum, covering activities from August 12 to August 18, highlights a surge in community engagement, with 23 new topics. Key discussions include the nomination of Michelle Lai (ml_sudo) and others for the Security Council, the overhaul of the Trust Tiers system for grant eligibility, and the beginning of Optimism Fractal Season 4, which focuses on collaboration within the community. Additionally, various council member nominations were submitted, and an increased emphasis was placed on using advanced metrics to evaluate grants. The post underscores the significant strides taken towards enhancing governance structures and fostering community collaboration. The recap also introduced a more data-driven approach to grant allocation and engaged community members in shaping the vision of upcoming seasons through participatory events.

• Quadratic Funding + Retro: Token Engineering the Superchain!

  A new form of Gitcoin round called “Tunable Quadratic Funding” (TQF) is being tested to enhance the voting power of Superchain stakeholders and experts in the latest funding initiative. This approach aims to integrate quadratic and retro funding, allowing participants to contribute to projects with a $60K matching pool. Projects that have significant Superchain impact will receive retroactive rewards through a follow-on round. Designed to amplify the voices of OP badgeholders and token engineering experts, this method is expected to benefit various domains, including gaming and DeFi. Leveraging data-driven insights, the Token Engineering Commons seeks to contribute to a robust and trustworthy Superchain ecosystem.

• Security Council Election Town Hall Cohort A

  The forum post announces the Security Council Election Town Hall for Cohort A. Approved self-nominees who received the necessary delegate approvals are listed, including @Jepsen, @ethernaut, and others. The Town Hall will be held on August 20th from 2pm-3pm ET/6pm-7pm GMT. Each nominee will have two minutes to answer a predefined question about their alignment with the Optimistic Collective and their ability to fulfill Security Council responsibilities. Nominees unable to attend live may submit a 2-minute video response. Delegates can submit questions for nominees, and the voting period for the Cohort A elections will be from August 22nd to August 28th on vote.optimism.io.

• Security Council Nomination: alisha.eth

  Alisha.eth has been nominated for the role of Council Lead for Optimism’s Security Council. Currently residing in the United Arab Emirates, Alisha has a background in governance coordination and legal expertise. She was initially appointed as a Security Council Member and has been serving as the Security Council Lead since December 2023. Alisha emphasizes her experience with internal communications, managing rehearsals, and executing signing ceremonies. She also hosts monthly call recordings and shares updates through a dedicated site. Alisha’s philosophy revolves around integrity, independent thinking, and clear communication. She commits to fulfilling the responsibilities associated with the role, while also disclosing potential conflicts of interest but assures her dedication to Optimism’s governance.

• Security Council Nomination: Everett Hildenbrandt (Runtime Verification)

  Everett Hildenbrandt from Runtime Verification has been nominated for a Security Council position in Optimism’s Season 6. Representing an organization, Hildenbrandt highlights their contributions to the Optimism ecosystem, particularly through the integration of Kontrol, a formal verification tool for smart contracts, into Optimism’s CI pipeline. Hildenbrandt stresses the organization’s extensive experience in formal verification, referencing collaborations with various blockchain projects and their development of several industry-leading verification tools. They affirm that Runtime Verification aligns with the values and goals of the Optimism ecosystem, emphasizing technical expertise, transparency, and ethical conduct as key elements for a Security Council member. The nomination is supported by a commitment to dedicate the required time and transparency regarding potential conflicts of interest.

• Security Council Nomination - Uniswap Foundation

  The Uniswap Foundation has submitted a self-nomination for a position on Optimism’s Security Council, highlighting its significant contributions to the Optimism ecosystem. As a Council Member candidate, the nomination underscores Uniswap’s role as one of the pioneering DeFi applications on Optimism and details its impactful initiatives, such as liquidity mining campaigns and technical contributions to standards like ERC-7683. The nomination also emphasizes the Foundation’s extensive governance experience, technical expertise, and strong community relations within DeFi and across various blockchain ecosystems. The Uniswap team’s broad experience in governance, smart contract development, and security audits aligns well with the Security Council’s responsibilities, demonstrating their capability to contribute effectively to Optimism’s security and operational excellence.

• Security Council Member Nomination: Corey Petty (corpetty.eth)

  Corey Petty, known as corpetty.eth, has nominated himself for a role on the Optimism Security Council. He is running as an individual for the position of Council Member and resides in the USA. Petty has not previously served on Optimism’s Security Council or any other council or board within the collective, nor is he a representative of OP Labs or another OP Chain. His contributions to the Optimism ecosystem include educational interviews to raise awareness. He brings extensive experience in security, technical education in blockchain, and has held notable positions such as Chief Security Officer at Status. Petty emphasizes a risk-based approach and community needs as central to his philosophy. He has no anticipated conflicts of interest and is fully committed to the responsibilities of the role.

• Security Council Member Nomination: Troy

  In a detailed nomination post for the Season 6 Security Council, Troy, a core contributor at Synthetix, outlines his qualifications and experience for the Council Member role. Emphasizing his expertise in building data infrastructure and deploying smart contracts for Synthetix and Kwenta, Troy highlights his technical proficiency in Python, SQL, TypeScript, and Solidity. His notable contributions to the Optimism ecosystem include governance participation and managing complex smart contract deployments. Troy’s philosophy for a successful Security Council member advocates for deep technical knowledge, responsiveness, and a developer-centric approach. He confirms his understanding of the responsibilities and policies tied to the role, including the required commitment and potential removal processes.

• Security Council Member Nomination: Riley (jtriley.eth)

  Riley (jtriley.eth) has been nominated for a position on the Optimism Security Council, specifically as a Council Member. Residing in the United States, Riley brings a rich background in software engineering, smart contract development, and security audits. Notable contributions include authoring EIP-6909, work on Solady’s EIP1967 Proxy, and creating the Ethereum Virtual Machine Book. Despite not having previously served on the Optimism Security Council or any other related boards, Riley emphasizes experience in independent security audits, responsible bug disclosure, and cryptography. If elected, Riley plans to uphold rigorous security measures, including the use of a hardware wallet and Shamir Secret Sharing for key backups, to ensure fast and secure operations.

• Retro Funding 5: Application Review Process

  The forum post outlines the application review process for Retroactive Public Goods Funding (Retro Funding) Round 5. This two-week process, managed by a group of selected Citizens, assesses applications to ensure they meet eligibility criteria and adhere to the rules. Reviewers are expected to commit a minimum of ten hours during the review period, have a thorough understanding of the OP Stack, and maintain communication with Lead Reviewers. The selection of reviewers combines an opt-in process with random sampling, resulting in 30 reviewers grouped into six teams for enhanced collaboration. The review process includes initial rule violation checks, full reviews, and an appeal process for rejected applications. Strict rules are enforced to maintain the integrity of the funding round, including guidelines against false statements, hateful content, fraudulent activities, and advertising.

• A case for the organizational chart

  In a forum post titled “A case for the organizational chart,” the author, Alex Soto, advocates for the creation of an organizational chart for the Optimism collective. Emphasizing the importance of visualizing roles within the organization, Soto argues that such a chart would function like a ‘you are here’ map, providing clarity in a virtual environment. The proposed chart, inspired by sociocratic and holacratic models, aims to enhance communication flow and adaptability by illustrating interconnected teams. Soto has developed a draft version using Mural and seeks collaboration to refine it, suggesting features like role visualization and automatic updates. Soto commits to maintaining the prototype and invites feedback and collaboration from the community.

• Security Council Member Nomination: Node Guardians

  Node Guardians is nominated for a position as a Council Member in the Optimism Security Council. Representing an organization based in the British Virgin Islands, Node Guardians has not previously served on Optimism’s Security Council or any other council within the Collective. Their contributions to the Optimism ecosystem include launching a programming challenge to highlight fraud-proof mechanisms, organizing programming challenges focused on the OP Stack, and hosting community events. Their technical expertise is demonstrated through their engineering team’s development of programming challenges and their DevOps experience serving as validators across multiple networks. Node Guardians also bring governance experience from their involvement with Kroma’s Security Council, emphasizing vigilant oversight and performance monitoring, along with multisig operations in various networks. Their philosophy underscores the importance of attention to detail and verification for a Security Council member. They declare no conflicts of interest and are committed to the role’s responsibilities.

• Advanced metrics for Retro Funding

  The forum post discusses the need for advanced metrics in crypto grant programs, inspired by the analytical depth of the baseball stat “Wins Above Replacement” (WAR). The post emphasizes how a similar empirically derived metric could enhance the evaluation of ecosystem grants and ROI. Over the past year, the team has evolved from having no metrics to developing impact vectors and conducting initial analysis on Retro Funding (RF)-funded projects. They propose creating advanced metrics to provide a holistic view of a project’s contributions. The post suggests starting with simple metrics and gradually refining them while embracing diverse implementation methods and engaging the research community. This approach aims to identify successful projects and address shortcomings within the ecosystem, ultimately leading to more effective and insightful grant allocations.

Upcoming Votes

3 Proposals live at the time of writing this report, no upcoming proposals detected

[Boardroom]

Week of August 26th, 2024

Recent Proposals

• Security Council Elections Cohort A Members

  • Summary: The Security Council Charter dictates that the Token House will conduct elections for Cohort A of the Optimism Security Council. The top seven candidates, determined by approval voting, will be elected to serve a 12-month term, pending Foundation confirmation. If any candidate is not confirmed, the runner-up will take their place. This proposal, eligible for Voting Cycle #26, ensures that no more than one elected member is associated with a single entity or its affiliates. The approved candidates can be reviewed through the respective nomination links provided. The election process leverages approval voting, allowing delegates to vote for multiple nominees and even for themselves as long as additional votes are cast for other elected positions.

  • Proposer: Optimism Foundation

  • Status: Defeated

Forum Highlights

• Exploring Shielded Voting: Enhancing Governance on Optimism

  A forum post on the Optimism platform introduces the concept of shielded voting, which entails encrypting votes during the voting period and decrypting them post-vote closure. The post highlights several benefits of this approach, including mitigating bandwagon effects, reducing voter apathy, and preventing last-minute strategic voting. The author solicits community feedback on whether shielded voting could enhance decision-making within Optimism, the potential downsides, the scope of its application, and the alignment with Optimism’s values and goals. The discussion aims to gather diverse perspectives to strengthen governance.

• Cycle 26 Grants final roundup

  In the Cycle 26 Grants final roundup, the Optimism Grants Council addressed challenges from Cycle 25 by implementing several process improvements. Enhanced transparency was achieved through integrating rubric comments directly into applications, allowing applicants full visibility of scores and feedback. The review process was refined by splitting the council into two groups for balanced evaluations and incorporating feedback from the Developer Advisory Board (DAB). Out of 29 new and 24 carried-over applications, 12 new grants were approved, adhering to revised point thresholds to ensure strong application consideration. The post highlights upcoming Cycle 27 plans and congratulates the recipients of the first-ever Superchain grants for setting high standards. Special thanks were extended to @devtooligan for audit review contributions, emphasizing the collaborative effort in the grant review process. The full list of applications and their statuses is provided for reference.

• Code of Conduct Council (CoCC) Internal Operating Procedures S6

  The Optimism Code of Conduct Council (CoCC) for season 6 is comprised of elected community members tasked with managing disputes, resolving conflicts, and enforcing sanctions for rule violations within the community. Members of the community, known as Optimists, can directly report issues to CoCC members or anonymously via a reporting form. The conflict assessment process is categorized into small, medium, and large scopes, depending on the severity and impact of the incident, with varying degrees of intervention and potential sanctions such as warnings or bans. The CoCC employs a structured process for conflict resolution, including identification, screening, deliberation, and follow-up phases to ensure thorough investigation and appropriate action. Updates to operating procedures can occur twice per season, and the council is expected to provide periodic reports for transparency and self-evaluation.

• Rolling Mission Requests

  The Grants Council has put forth a proposal seeking the ability to create and submit rolling Mission Requests to attract more developers to the Optimism ecosystem. With 1.725 million OP tokens approved but unallocated, this initiative aims to boost developer growth by utilizing the unallocated budget from Intent 3A. Starting from Voting Cycle #27, the Council proposes continuous submissions of Mission Requests, which need sponsorship from a Council member and approval by the Token House. This ongoing process features a systematic timeline with submission deadlines each Review Period and subsequent voting

• Cycle 26 Grants Preliminary Review Report

  The Cycle 26 Preliminary Review has concluded, with 29 new applications and 24 from the previous cycle. The cutoff was set at 30 points, and every reviewer met their milestones. Special mention was given to operations lead Bunnic. The Developer Advisory Board played a crucial role, offering valuable input for evaluations. Finalists will be announced next Wednesday. Gratitude was extended to the Grants Council for their efforts. Noteworthy applications passing to the final include OP Stack Cross Chain Voting, Hedgey application, and CastRank, among others. Declined applications included Vote Notifier and OptimismDAO Management dashboard. Detailed results are available in their public database.

• Superchain Grants Review Process

  The Grants Council has introduced a detailed review process for the Season 6 Superchain Grants Program, ensuring rigorous evaluation based on 15 specific criteria. Applicants must answer questions affirmatively on factors like the chain’s operational status, clarity of grant structure, alignment with Superchain goals, efficiency, and sustainability. Scoring requires at least 14 out of 15 positive responses to qualify. Priority will be given to live chains contributing to sequencer revenue until Cycle 28, with non-live chains considered if the budget remains unallocated. Grant requests are capped at 3M OP, and proposals exceeding 1M OP must demonstrate exceptional innovation and collaboration. This process underscores the commitment to fostering robust and impactful projects within the Superchain ecosystem.

Upcoming Votes

1 Proposals live at the time of writing this report, no upcoming proposals detected

[Boardroom]

Week of September 2nd, 2024

• Wannabet Weekly Tournaments

  The Wannabet team is excited to announce their selection to develop an onchain social game for Optimism. The game allows users to place bets on weekly propositions and compete onchain, with the top performers earning OP rewards. This forum post aims to keep the community informed about progress and game launches, inviting feedback and suggestions. For more detailed information on Wannabet’s history, they have provided links to their website and GitHub.

• Cycle 27 Intent 3A Mission Request and Sponsorship

  The forum post titled “Cycle 27 Intent 3A Mission Request and Sponsorship” introduces a thread for tracking new mission request proposals each cycle, facilitated by the user Gonna.eth (Dhannte). Users are guided through a step-by-step process which includes copying a provided template, creating a new forum post, filling out the necessary information, and tagging the post appropriately. If users are not Grants Council members, they should include “[Looking for sponsor]” at the beginning of the post title. Finally, they are required to return to the original thread and share the link to their mission request post in the replies for further engagement and sponsorship opportunities.

• [Mission Request] Optimism Treasury Diversification Research

  The forum post titled “[Mission Request] Optimism Treasury Diversification Research” outlines a mission to explore treasury diversification strategies for the Optimism Collective, which currently holds 100% OP. The goal is to develop actionable plans supported by data to diversify part of the treasury into on-chain yield-bearing assets or real-world assets (RWAs). This initiative aligns with Season 6’s Intent 3A and aims to incentivize Optimism-based protocols to hold RWAs, thus fostering broader RWA adoption within the ecosystem. A grant of 25,000 OP is proposed for multiple applicants to conduct thorough research on treasury diversification strategies, the regulatory environment, and financial implications. The success of this mission will be measured by the number and quality of research reports and the subsequent growth of the Optimism treasury.

• Cycle 26 Grants final roundup

  In Cycle 25, the review process faced several hurdles, including rapid review timelines and technical difficulties with Charmverse. Despite these, all 50 applications were reviewed, but only three reviewers had full contextual understanding for final decisions, leading to a push of non-approved applications to the next cycle. For Cycle 26, improvements were implemented, such as integrating rubric comments for better transparency, splitting the review process among two groups of six Grants Council members for balanced decision-making, and involving the Developer Advisory Board (DAB) more effectively by adjusting timelines. Cycle 26 saw 29 new applications and 24 carryovers, with a new scoring threshold set to ensure robust selection. Ultimately, 12 new grants were approved, demonstrating the efficacy of the revised process. Looking ahead to Cycle 27, submissions will be open until September 2nd, encouraging applicants to refine their proposals based on feedback to meet the updated criteria. Special acknowledgment was given to Derive and Fraxtal for receiving the first Superchain grants, setting a high standard for future recipients. Additionally, audit requests were evaluated meticulously, with a total of eight requests scored, resulting in five approvals.

• Code of Conduct Council (CoCC) Internal Operating Procedures S6

  The Code of Conduct Council (CoCC) for Optimism Season 6 outlines its internal operating procedures focusing on managing disputes and enforcing sanctions for violations within the community. It establishes mechanisms for reporting issues, ranging from direct contact with CoCC members to anonymous submissions via a reporting form. The scope of conflicts is categorized into small, medium, and large, with corresponding actions ranging from de-escalation to potential bans. The conflict management steps include identification, screening, deliberation, and follow-up phases, each with specific timelines. Additional measures include documenting processes while preserving privacy and providing mid and end-season reports for transparency and evaluation. Members must handle case registries confidentially and these operating procedures are subject to periodic updates based on evolving needs.

[sharp3]

Thanks for the updates

[Boardroom]

Week of September 9th, 2024

• [Mission Request] Subsidized Audit Grants V2

  The forum post titled “[Mission Request] Subsidized Audit Grants V2” proposes repurposing and continuing a previous budget to fund subsidized audits for promising projects in the Optimism ecosystem. The new streamlined process includes a pre-whitelist for auditors by the Grants Council (GC), allowing auditors to apply for specific audits directly from the mission budget. This initiative, proposed by Anthias Labs and Gonna.eth, aims to support new developers and projects by covering audit costs, thus fostering growth in the Superchain. The total grant amount requested is 500,000 OP, with the goal of increasing the number of active developers through improved infrastructure and open standards. The success of this mission will be evaluated based on milestones, the number of active addresses interacting with audited contracts, and other usage data.

• GovNFT Community Call Thread 4

  The latest GovNFT Community Call Thread discussed the introduction of guest voter participation for Retro Funding Round 6. Michael Vander Meiden highlighted Emily’s talk on the topic, explaining that guest voters will be randomly selected and will participate alongside regular voters, focusing on Governance projects. The thread invites community members to share their thoughts on how this new approach might influence voting outcomes compared to previous rounds dominated by Badgeholders. Participants are encouraged to provide meaningful insights, with a reminder that high-quality contributions earn points, while low-effort posts may result in penalties.

• [Looking for sponsor] Develop Onchain Social Games that Attract Builders to Optimism

  Dan Singjoy has proposed a mission request on the Optimism forum aimed at developing onchain social games to attract and nurture builders, fostering a vibrant developer community. This initiative aligns with Optimism’s goal of growing application developers on the Superchain by leveraging interactive and educational games to engage new developers, enhance their skills, and build a supportive community. The total grant amount requested for this mission is 250k OP, and it is intended for multiple applicants. Key milestones include launching an initial game within three months and conducting midterm and yearly reviews to assess impact and progress. The proposal also emphasizes the importance of community outreach, incentives, and proper documentation to ensure successful execution and continuous developer engagement.

• [Mission Request] Superchain Borrow/Lend Aggregator

  Mission Request: Superchain Borrow/Lend Aggregator

This mission request, proposed by Anthias Labs, aims to develop a unified borrow/lend aggregator for all Superchain-based protocols. With the goal of enhancing liquidity and providing users with optimal borrowing and lending rates, the project seeks a grant of 30,000 OP. The proposal emphasizes the need for a single, comprehensive platform that integrates major protocols like Aave and Moonwell and offers an easy-to-use frontend. Success metrics include the amount of Total Value Locked (TVL) and the volume of borrows handled through the aggregator, with the broader intention of increasing developer activity on the Superchain and uniting its liquidity.

• [Mission Request] - Crosschain alert monitoring

  In a recent forum post titled “[Mission Request] - Crosschain alert monitoring,” a delegate outlines the need for alerting and monitoring systems for crosschain messages and transactions within the Optimism Superchain. The post highlights that effective interop is crucial to attract serious developers by providing tools necessary for high functionality, security, and user experience. The proposed mission seeks a grant of 60k OP and aims to create tools to monitor the performance, delays, or failures of interop messages and general health metrics. By ensuring robust crosschain functionality, the initiative aims to enhance developer trust and adoption of the Superchain for new projects, while also addressing specific milestones and performance metrics upon completion【4:1†Season 6- Intents Ratification.txt】.

• Retro Funding 6: Announcing Guest Voter participation

  Retro Funding 6 introduces a new phase in the Optimism Collective’s governance by involving Guest Voters to participate alongside Citizens in awarding OP for contributions. This experiment builds on the previous round and aims to explore different voter selection mechanisms to inform future Citizen selection processes. The research focuses on comparing outcomes from various selection methods like Web of Trust and Proof of Work against random selection, aiming to establish control groups and understand differences in voter composition and decision-making. The experiment includes rigorous measures to ensure randomness and minimal bias in voter selection, targeting active users of the Farcaster Protocol. Approximately 100 Guest Voters will join, ensuring adequate representation and experimental validity. The final determination of the Guest Voters’ influence will be subject to Citizens’ review to safeguard against system capture.

• [Mission Request] Targeted extension of Superfest

  Jack Anorak has proposed a Mission Request to extend Superfest, a program aimed at encouraging the migration of DeFi projects to the Superchain. Noting previous implementation issues but overall success, the request seeks 400k OP to incentivize DeFi projects. Both existing and new DeFi applicants are eligible under specific conditions such as having a track record of onboarding new protocols or providing credible growth plans. The mission’s impact will be measured by metrics like Total Value Locked (TVL) and the number of new projects and users. This proposal aims to support Intent 3a of Season 6, focusing on strategic growth and innovation within the Superchain ecosystem

• Cycle 27 Grants Preliminary Review Report

  The Cycle 27 Grants Preliminary Review Report outlines the review process for 47 applications, including those for Superchain and audits. The Grants Council excelled in timely reviews and contributed significantly to mission requests. Special thanks were given to the Developer Advisory Board (DAB) for their valuable feedback on 34 applications. Review scores and feedback are now available on individual applications, with a preliminary cutoff set at 30 points. Finalists, needing a minimum of 40 points, will be announced next Wednesday. A database and list of finalists were also included in the report.

• [Mission Request] Intent 3A - Superchain Builder Hub

  The forum post titled “[Mission Request] Intent 3A - Superchain Builder Hub” outlines a proposal to create a virtual hub for the Optimism Collective. The main aim is to reduce information asymmetry and coordination costs by developing a comprehensive platform covering chains, projects, opportunities, programs, analytics, and contributors within the ecosystem. The requested grant amount is 125K OP, and the project should be managed by a single applicant. The initiative seeks to attract top talent and builders by providing an organized, easy-to-navigate representation of the ecosystem. Essential requirements include a deeply knowledgeable operating team, alignment with Optimism brand guidelines, and a clear path for new developers to engage with the community. The project’s success will be measured through various metrics, including the number of new projects, developers, delegates, and unique users engaging with the platform, along with overall platform usage and its impact on the ecosystem.

• [Looking for sponsor] Automated Grants System

  The forum post discusses a mission request seeking sponsorship for an automated grants system aimed at providing grant access to builders with minimal friction and contingent payouts based on predefined criteria. Aligned with Season 6’s intent to advance decentralization through DAO infrastructure, the proposal requests a total grant amount of 80k OP. The mission includes details on execution requirements, milestone tracking, impact measurement, and clarifies that no other contributors are involved in the request. The post emphasizes the need for a single applicant to fulfill the mission, aiming to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of grant distribution within the Optimism Collective framework.

• [Mission Request] - Experimentation of Infrastructure Subsidies

  The forum post titled “Mission Request: Experimentation of Infrastructure Subsidies” outlines a proposal for subsidizing key infrastructure providers, such as RPCs, oracles, and web3 alert services, to support builders on the Optimism platform. The initiative aims to allocate up to 30k OP per provider, with a total grant amount of 250k OP, to reduce barriers for new developers and enhance the performance of existing applications. The proposal targets growing application developers on the Superchain and entails multiple providers submitting detailed support plans. Success will be measured through metrics such as the increase in developer activity and performance improvements in applications utilizing the subsidized services. The ultimate goal is to foster a more diverse and robust ecosystem on Optimism.

• [Mission Request] Decentralized Solvers and Aggregators on OP Mainnet / Superchain

  The forum post describes a mission to boost decentralized solvers, aggregators, and limit order functionality on the Optimism Mainnet and, eventually, the Superchain. Proposed by Matt, the mission targets projects like CowSwap and 1inch Fusion, aiming for enhanced liquidity and trading efficiency. The total grant is set at 250k OP, distributed among multiple applicants, with milestones focusing on integration with major decentralized solvers, trading volume increases, and Superchain compatibility. Key metrics for success include trading volume, unique user interaction, and gas savings

• Superchain dApps and its reach

  A forum user shared their experience exploring superchain dApps during the jumper superchain quest. As a veteran in the space, they noted discovering many new projects and felt naturally inclined to explore well-known names like Balance and Aave for safety. However, they encountered liquidity issues with Fraxtal on Jumper and had to resort to Curve.fi for swaps and Orbiter for bridging. The user stressed that while experienced users could navigate these challenges, newcomers might struggle, highlighting the need for better onboarding processes. They hope their feedback will be useful for future improvements.

• [Mission Request] Optimism Treasury Diversification Research

  A forum post from Anthias Labs outlines a mission request to research diversification strategies for the Optimism Collective treasury, which is currently 100% in OP tokens. The request proposes investigating on-chain yield-bearing assets and Real-World Assets (RWAs) to diversify the treasury, aiming to support expenses and generate additional yield. This initiative, aligned with Optimism’s Season 6 intent, seeks actionable plans with solid data that can be adopted within a DAO framework. The goal is to attract more RWA projects to the Optimism ecosystem while ensuring compliance with regulatory standards. Applicants are expected to deliver research demonstrating Optimism’s current financial state, explore effective diversification strategies, and outline the regulatory implications of potential strategies, aiming for transparent and measurable milestones.

• [Mission Request] Optimism Dominance in Yield-Bearing Assets - DEX Liquidity for YBAs

  The forum post discusses a mission request to enhance the dominance of Optimism in yield-bearing assets (YBAs) by focusing on decentralized exchange (DEX) liquidity. The proposal, driven by Anthias Labs for Season 6, seeks to onboard more real-world assets (RWAs) and YBAs via DEX integrations, reusing goals and criteria from previous requests by GFX Labs. It highlights the need for whitelisted RWAs to have greater DEX liquidity as opposed to lending market integrations. The plan includes a 500,000 OP grant distribution to incentivize users who bridge and deposit whitelisted assets into eligible DeFi protocols. The mission’s success will be measured by the number of whitelisted assets, the amount of assets migrated to Optimism, and the duration of their stay, with the overarching goal of increasing Total Value Locked (TVL) within the Optimism Superchain.

• Cycle 27 Intent 3A Mission Request and Sponsorship

  The forum post titled “Cycle 27 Intent 3A Mission Request and Sponsorship” aims to organize new mission request proposals for each cycle. The process involves copying a template from the provided link, creating a new forum post with that template, tagging the post appropriately, and indicating whether sponsorship is needed. Participants are expected to update the thread with links to their mission request posts. The goal of the forum is to streamline and manage the proposal submissions efficiently, enhancing the governance and project execution within the community.

[Boardroom]

Week of September 16th, 2024

Forum Highlights

• Introducing GovGraph.fyi – Citizen Connections Visualized

  GovGraph.fyi is an innovative visualization tool designed to enhance understanding and interaction within governance ecosystems, with a specific focus on Optimism’s ecosystem. It features interactive relationship mapping, advanced filtering and search capabilities, and transparency enhancement tools to identify alliances, conflicts of interest, and influence clusters. The development team is seeking feedback from citizens and stakeholders to refine the tool. Users are encouraged to explore GovGraph, provide feedback, and suggest new features. This project, a collaborative effort from experts in reputation systems and governance analytics, aims to foster a more efficient and transparent governance ecosystem. For more details, visit the GovGraph website.

• GovNFT Community Call

  The fourth GovNFT Community Call focused on guest voter participation in Retro Funding 6, with discussions led by Emily. The call covered the process of selecting guest voters randomly and encouraged participants to share their thoughts on how these voters might differ in their voting compared to Badgeholders, particularly since Round 6 will focus on Governance projects. Michael emphasized that thoughtful responses are valued and provided links to additional information and previous discussions on guest voter participation.

• Accelerated Decentralization Proposal For Optimism

  The proposal by GFX Labs outlines a three-phase plan to accelerate the decentralization of Optimism’s governance, aiming for completion by summer 2025. It highlights the current limitations of the OP token and Optimism governance, contrasting it with its main competitor, Arbitrum. The proposal argues for an immediate transfer of control over the OP token contract, governance contract, and governance funds in Phase I, followed by the handover of essential infrastructure and the development of a sequencer decentralization roadmap in Phase II. Phase III targets full technical control by Optimism governance, finalizing sequencer decentralization, and ensuring transparency in Foundation grants. The goal is to rejuvenate Optimism’s governance and business strategy, positioning it for sustainable growth and value creation for stakeholders.

• [Mission Request] Targeted extension of Superfest

  Jack Anorak proposes a mission to extend Superfest, aimed at migrating more projects onto Superchain. Despite initial implementation issues, Superfest effectively encouraged project migration. The mission resembles previous Growth Experiments grants, emphasizing DeFi projects. A grant of 400k OP is proposed, targeting multiple applicants including new and existing OP Mainnet-DeFi projects. Key requirements include a growth theory, user impact expectations, and meaningful product value additions. Metrics for success include TVL during and post-incentive programs, first-time wallet onboarding, and the number of new DeFi projects attracted.

• Cycle 27 Grants final roundup

  In the final roundup for Cycle 27 grants, all applications were successfully reviewed despite the additional workload. Out of 53 applications, 16 were approved, with notable recipients including Base, Mode, Swan, Cyber, and Redstone securing Superchain grants. The Developer Advisory Board (DAB) played a crucial role with their insightful feedback. Looking ahead, Cycle 28 has opened for submissions, which are due by Tuesday, 24th at 19:00 GMT. New Mission Requests that reached quorum are live, and a new whitelisting process for auditors will be announced soon. Applicants are encouraged to review feedback from previous cycles and strive to meet the 40-point threshold for consideration. Detailed information and resources for finalists are available through provided links.

• Pairwise in Retro Funding 5: Your Voting Tool

  In the forum post titled “Pairwise in Retro Funding 5: Your Voting Tool,” users are introduced to the Pairwise voting dApp, designed to simplify the RF5 voting process by allowing comparisons between two options. This tool is user-friendly and open-source, converting subjective inputs into measurable results, thereby reducing the cognitive burden of voting. A new feature, star ratings, has been introduced to categorize projects based on their impact, ranging from high to no impact. This star system is optional but recommended for refining project rankings, making it easier to unlock ballots. The process involves navigating to Pairwise, ranking projects using the star system, and finally unlocking the ballot for final adjustments before casting a vote. The post encourages user feedback to improve the experience.

• Retro Funding 6: Governance - Round details

  The forum post on “Retro Funding 6: Governance” outlines the details of the sixth round of Retroactive Public Goods Funding for the Optimism governance system. This round aims to reward contributions made between October 2023 and September 18, 2024, in governance infrastructure, analytics, and leadership. Key dates include the sign-up period from September 26 to October 10, application reviews from October 14 to 28, voting from October 28 to November 7, and results announcement on November 19. Eligible contributions span various categories, including technical tools for governance, governance analytics, and leadership roles within the community. The funding round will allocate between 1.1 million and 3.5 million OP tokens, based on votes from the community, who will decide the final allocation amount via a median voting process. The voting design and process improvements aim to enhance community-driven budget allocation, and grants will be streamed to recipients over 100 days pending KYC approval.

• Badgeholder Onchain Analysis Report

  The “Optimism Badgeholder On-Chain Analysis Report” examines the activities and influence of Badgeholders within the Optimism Collective. Badgeholders, crucial for voting on governance and Retro Funding distribution, display higher engagement in other DAOs, NFT creation, and smart contract deployment compared to typical active OP users. The study reveals their significant role in various governance activities across multiple chains, including higher participation in prominent DAOs and social apps like Farcaster. The findings, sourced from 132 Badgeholder addresses and a representative control group, aim to inform future Retro Funding rounds and enhance the transparency and effectiveness of governance within the Optimism Collective.

• [Mission Request] Subsidized Audit Grants V2

  The “Subsidized Audit Grants V2” mission request aims to repurpose and extend the budget from previous initiatives to provide subsidized audits for promising projects within the Optimism ecosystem. The proposal outlines a streamlined process for audits, eliminating pre-approved budgets and allowing whitelisted auditors to apply directly for funds. By supporting the auditing costs of new projects, this initiative intends to foster sustainable growth and increase the number of active developers in the Optimism Collective. Key metrics for evaluating success include the number of active addresses interacting with audited contracts, usage data of funded projects, and overall impact on the ecosystem’s developer community. The mission requests a total of 500,000 OP, equally split between repurposed funds and new allocation, to support this goal.

• EVENT: Optimism Retro Funding – Voting Design Evaluation

  The forum post announces a workshop for Optimism Retro Funding on September 23, 2024, to evaluate and improve the voting designs of past funding rounds. The GovXS team has developed a new evaluation framework grounded in social choice theory to assess voting designs across six dimensions: resistance to malicious behavior, incentive compatibility, simplicity, majority and diversity representation, incentives alignment, and alignment with ground truth. The workshop will guide attendees through this framework and provide data-driven proposals for future improvements. The session is open to Optimism Badgeholders, GovNERDS, guest voters, and members of the Optimism Collective, with the participation of researchers from the GovXS team.

• [Mission Request] - Experimentation of Infrastructure Subsidies

  This request proposes subsidizing infrastructure providers like RPCs, oracles, and web3 alert services to aid builders on Optimism. Each provider can apply for up to 30k OP, with a total grant amount of 250k OP. The mission’s goal is to evaluate the impact of these subsidies, aiming to support new and existing protocols on Optimism, thereby lowering entry barriers, improving application performance, and encouraging service optimization for the Optimism ecosystem. Metrics for success include increased developer activity, onboarding of new services, and cost reduction for developers. The proposal is in draft mode, awaiting comments from additional delegates.

• [Mission Request] Decentralized Solvers and Aggregators on OP Mainnet / Superchain

  The forum post discusses a mission request aimed at incentivizing the development and integration of decentralized solvers, aggregators, and limit order functionality on Optimism Mainnet and the Superchain. The mission targets projects like CowSwap, 1inch Fusion, and Pyth Express Relay, aiming to enhance trading efficiency, user experience, and overall liquidity on the network. It proposes a total grant amount of 250k OP and outlines key requirements such as integration with OP Mainnet, development of user-frontends, and support for Superchain compatibility. Metrics for success include increased trading volume, unique users, and improved capital efficiency. The mission seeks multiple applicants and highlights the involvement of contributors like Synthetix and Pyth.

• [Mission Request] - Crosschain alert monitoring

  A delegate has submitted a mission request to develop alert and monitoring tools for crosschain messaging in the Optimism network. Noting the importance for products requiring high functionality, security, and user experience, the proposal aligns with Season 6 Intent 42. The suggested tools aim to monitor and report interoperability issues, like message delays or failures, and track core metrics such as latency and gas usage, thereby facilitating seamless crosschain operations. The total requested grant amount is 60k OP, and the mission might be fulfilled by up to two applicants. The proposal underscores the need for robust tooling to advance developer confidence and foster crosschain projects within the Superchain ecosystem.

• Automated Grants System

  In a recent forum post, a delegate proposed an automated grants system for Optimism’s Season 6, Cycle 27. The mission aims to streamline the grant access process for builders, offering grants as streams and payouts upon meeting specific criteria. The total grant requested for this mission is 80k OP, with the goal of furthering decentralization within the DAO infrastructure. The proposal outlines the required milestones, metrics, and impact assessments for governance participants to evaluate the mission’s success. This initiative seeks one applicant to execute the mission, contributing significantly to Optimism’s strategic intent for the season.

Upcoming Votes

0 Proposals live at the time of writing this report, no upcoming proposals detected

[Boardroom]

Week of September 23rd, 2024

Forum Highlights

• Joan’s RPGF5 Reflections

  Joan reflects on their experiences participating in RPGF5 as a reviewer and appeals reviewer. The RPGF5 round aimed to reward contributors to the OP Stack across three categories, with voters deciding on the distribution of a 2M-8M OP token allocation. Joan highlights improvements made since RPGF4, including better clarity in review tasks and enhanced software tools like the new reviewer checklist and Charmverse’s updates. However, they also mention areas needing further enhancement, such as API access to application data and the ability to sort applications by various criteria. Joan appreciates the structured reviewer teams and communication channels, but suggests more organized issue follow-ups during software testing and clearer guidelines for applicants. Overall, Joan found this review round more productive and focused compared to previous ones.

• GovNFT Community Call Thread 5

  In the GovNFT Community Call Thread 5, Michael Vander Meiden invites GovNFT participants to continue the discussion on the “Accelerated Decentralization Proposal For Optimism” and the Foundation’s response. The community is encouraged to share insights on important topics such as the essential actions needed to achieve Stage 2 decentralization and opinions on accelerating the decentralization process. Relevant links and resources are provided, including the Foundation’s response and a framework for evaluating rollup maturity. Participation is incentivized with a points system, emphasizing thoughtful contributions. Additionally, a reminder is given that the GovNFT participation program will end on October 18th.

• Accelerated Decentralization Proposal For Optimism

  The “Accelerated Decentralization Proposal for Optimism” outlines a phased plan to transfer system powers and resources from the Optimism Foundation and OP Labs to the governance structure of the OP token. The authors argue that the governance has matured sufficiently to assume control and that the current centralization contradicts the principles of decentralization. The proposal includes three phases: Phase I focuses on immediate transfers like ownership of the OP token and governance contracts; Phase II involves essential infrastructure like the L1 Bridge Escrow and a roadmap for sequencer decentralization; and Phase III aims for full technical control and complete decentralization by mid-2025. The goal is to make OP tokenholders the primary decision-makers, eliminating the need for Foundation’s approval and increasing governance effectiveness.

• Badgeholder Onchain Analysis

  This research analysis, conducted with the Optimism Foundation, delves into the on-chain activities of Badgeholders in the Superchain ecosystem, comparing them with Non-Badgeholders. The findings reveal that Badgeholders, despite having older accounts, show lower activity levels than Non-Badgeholders and prefer Ethereum over other chains. The analysis highlights that Badgeholders primarily engage in token transfers and a few decentralized exchanges, with more than half connected to the social platform Farcaster. The study aims to inform the Optimism Collective on enhancing Badgeholder integration and participation within the Superchain, guiding strategic decisions for community engagement and growth.

• Zk Toolkit for ZK Application Developers: Mission updates

  WakeUp Labs is developing a Zero-Knowledge (ZK) Identity Toolkit designed for developers building on the Superchain. This toolkit is focused on simplifying the integration of identity-related features using advanced ZK technology, prioritizing self-sovereign identity and privacy. By allowing developers to incorporate ZK proofs into their decentralized applications (dApps), it enhances security and trust between users and applications. WakeUp Labs, selected to lead four Optimism Missions, aims to provide individuals with full control over their identities and privacy. The project aligns with their commitment to delivering top-notch, community-endorsed products that are reusable for future Superchain projects.

• Impact Metrics for Retro Funding 5

  In a recent forum post, Open Source Observer announced its support for Retro Funding 5 (RF5) with new impact metrics focusing on GitHub contributions. These metrics aim to provide voters with valuable data alongside project self-reports. The metrics come in three types: basic GitHub stats, contributor counts, and trust-weighted metrics. The basic stats include stars and forks as of the review conclusion date, contributor counts highlight unique contributors over various periods, and trust-weighted metrics, developed in partnership with OpenRank, rank contributions by developer trustworthiness. These metrics help to better assess a project’s impact within the Optimism ecosystem. The post also provides a detailed breakdown of fields used in the analysis and advises users to consider these alongside other research when voting.

• Retro Funding 6: Governance - Round details

  Retro Funding 6 aims to reward contributions to the Optimism Governance, focusing on infrastructure, tooling, analytics, and leadership demonstrated between October 2023 and September 2024. Key dates include the signup period from September 26 to October 10, application reviews from October 14 to 28, voting from October 28 to November 7, with results announced on November 19. The governance impact evaluated spans across multiple seasons, and the round’s OP allocation will range from 1.1M to 3.5M OP, voted upon by citizens. Additionally, there will be experiments with guest voters to enhance the understanding of voter selection methods and their impact on resource allocations. Grants will be distributed through Superfluid, contingent on KYC approval, and must meet a minimum value to qualify for the streaming rewards.

• Cycle 28 Intent 3A Mission Request and Sponsorship

  In the “Cycle 28 Intent 3A Mission Request and Sponsorship” forum post, users are invited to propose mission requests for the Grants Council, with a budget of 15,000 OP remaining. The post provides a step-by-step guide for users to submit their requests: copying a provided template, creating a new post with the template filled out, adding specific tags, and marking the title for sponsorship if they are not council members. Users are then asked to link their new posts in the thread replies for consideration.

• Cycle 27 Grants final roundup

  In the Cycle 27 grant update, it was reported that all 53 applications were reviewed successfully, with 16 being approved. Special recognition was given to Base, Mode, Swan, Cyber, and Redstone for securing Superchain grants. The Developer Advisory Board was praised for their crucial role in the review process. Looking ahead to Cycle 28, new Mission Requests that have reached quorum are now live, and the team is finalizing a new whitelisting process for auditors. The submission deadline for Cycle 28 proposals is set for Tuesday, the 24th at 19:00 GMT. Applicants are encouraged to refine their proposals based on previous feedback to meet the 40-point threshold for consideration.

• GovNFT Governance Topic Thread 2

  In the “GovNFT Governance Topic Thread 2,” Michael Vander Meiden discusses the upcoming Retro Funding Round 6, focusing on its impact on Optimism Governance. This round allocates between 1.1M OP to 3.5M OP for projects, with the exact amount determined by badgeholders or citizens. There’s also an experiment involving “guest voters.” Questions posed to participants include whether the funding should be at the maximum or minimum level and if random farcaster users should be included as voters, questioning their level of informedness compared to pre-selected badgeholders. High-quality answers can earn up to 26 points, whereas low-effort contributions won’t count towards the total points. Michael encourages participants to check their standings on the GovNFT Leaderboard.

Upcoming Votes

0 Proposals live at the time of writing this report, no upcoming proposals detected

[sharp3]

Posting this comment here for transparency, system is not allowing more than 3 consecutive replies from the same account. This comment will refresh the limit

[Boardroom]

Week of October 7th, 2024

Recent Proposals

• Rolling Mission Requests: Voting Cycle 28

  • Summary: The “Rolling Mission Requests: Voting Cycle 28” proposal seeks to advance the previously approved strategy focused on expanding application developers on the OP Mainnet. Under Intent 3A, this initiative sets a target to engage 9,500 active developers within the Superchain. The voting employs an approval ranking system where Mission Requests must secure a minimum of 51% of the quorum through ‘yes’ votes to qualify for budget allocation. Notably, one of the highlighted Mission Requests aims to boost the adoption of non-USD/EURO stablecoins, utilizing the remaining budget of Season 7. Participants are urged to vote affirmatively on favored Mission Requests, with a reminder that votes are irrevocable once cast. The proposal aligns with the strategic goal of broadening the developer community and optimizing resource allocation in future cycles.

  • Proposer: Optimism Foundation

  • Status: Voting in progress

Forum Highlights

• [Mission Request] Increase Prevalence of Non-USD/EURO Stablecoins

  In a recent mission request, Delegate Michael Vander Meiden, known as OPMichael, outlines a plan to enhance the liquidity of non-USD and non-EURO fiat-pegged stablecoins on the Optimism Mainnet. With a total grant of $15,000, this initiative targets projects aiming to develop or grow these stablecoins, crucial for real-world applications like ticketing and payments in countries outside the US and Europe. The mission seeks multiple applicants to address the need for local stablecoins in markets such as Mexico, Thailand, and South Africa. Progress will be tracked through milestones, total value locked (TVL), and activity metrics of these stablecoins, aiming to bolster their adoption and integration into financial infrastructures.

• Retro Funding 6: Application Review Process

  The Retroactive Public Goods Funding (Retro Funding) application review process for Optimism’s sixth round establishes a structured evaluation method for applicants seeking participation. It is conducted by a selected group of Citizens who commit to a minimum of 10 hours over a two-week period post-project signup. Reviewers are expected to be well-versed in OP governance, maintain communication with lead reviewers, adhere strictly to application rules, and declare any conflicts of interest. Reviewers are selected through opt-in and random sampling, culminating in teams that collaboratively assess applications. Applications undergo a multi-stage review, with potential for appeal if initially rejected. Strict rules are enforced to eliminate applications for falsehoods, hateful content, or other violations, ensuring integrity in the funding process.

• Measuring the Concentration of Power in the Collective

  The forum post introduces the Concentration of Power Index (CPI), a tailored version of the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index, designed to evaluate power concentration within the Optimism Collective. Sponsored by the Optimism Foundation, the research blends individual delegate voting power with the impact of governance entities like Houses, Councils, and Committees. The CPI aims to highlight power distribution and its potential risks, facilitating policy adjustments towards decentralization. The analysis reveals that the Citizens’ House wields the most influence, followed closely by the Token House. The CPI tracks the trend of decentralization over different governance rounds and seasons, showing a significant decline in power concentration, indicating successful decentralization efforts. The report also compares the CPI across various DAOs, illustrating Optimism’s balanced approach to governance and its commitment to equitable power distribution.

• Announcing Super Contributor Cohort 0

  The forum post announces the launch of Super Contributor Cohort 0 following the approval of their Mission Request. This six-week co-learning track is designed for Superchain contributors within the Optimism Collective, aiming to equip them with the necessary skills and insights to elevate their contributions. The cohort includes the Optimism Contributor Essentials MOOC, weekly meetings, various on-chain exercises, and a meetup in Bangkok. Interested individuals can access more information through provided links and are encouraged to share this opportunity with colleagues and friends involved in on-chain organizations.

• Collective Feedback Commission Pilot Retrospective

  In a recent forum post, the Foundation evaluated its six-month pilot of the Collective Feedback Commission (CFC), aimed at formalizing feedback processes within the community for improved governance. The pilot saw groups like Token House and Citizens’ House provide essential feedback on early design drafts and contributed ideas that exceeded initial success goals. Key learnings included the need for clear initial expectations, reducing context gaps for meaningful feedback, and ensuring feedback loops are closed with participants. Plans for the next iteration include enhancing collaboration, refining membership criteria, and hosting a kickoff to align goals and expectations. The ultimate aim is to decentralize governance design responsibilities, fostering a culture of high-value feedback and engagement. Launch of the next phase is anticipated in early November, emphasizing a more persistent structure with dedicated leadership and resources to manage the process effectively.

• Cycle 28 Grants Preliminary Roundup

  In the Cycle 28 Grants Preliminary Roundup, 61 applications were received, encompassing both Superchain and audit applications. Of these, 28 were declined either during the initial intake or the preliminary round, leaving 33 applications advancing to the final review. A standout initiative this cycle was the Auditor Whitelisting Initiative, successfully expanding the list of approved audit service providers to eleven. Applicants can access scores and feedback through their application portals, promoting transparency and aiding improvement. The preliminary cutoff was set at 30 points, while finalists, to be announced next Thursday, require a minimum of 40 points. Gratitude is extended to the Developer Advisory Board and Grants Council for their valuable contributions. A link to the finalists’ database is also provided for access.

• govNerds Maintainers S6 feedback thread

  In the Govnerds Maintainers Season 6 feedback thread, user Megalod commends the team for their dedication and highlights both achievements and areas for improvement. The post acknowledges the efforts in transparency regarding governance updates but notes occasional delays and lack of detail, suggesting enhanced communication. It praises community engagement initiatives but suggests boosting participation with new onboarding and educational techniques. The decision-making process is seen as inclusive yet occasionally dominated by certain voices, calling for broader representation. Concerns about slow implementation of decisions are raised, advocating for improved efficiency, while innovation receives acclaim with a recommendation for more educational resources to bridge knowledge gaps. Overall, the feedback remains optimistic about the progress and anticipates further growth in the next season.

• Joint House Call

  Join us on October 8th for the next Optimism community call, where we’ll delve into Retrofunding rounds 5 and 6. The meeting will take place via Google Meet, and everyone is welcome to contribute ideas for the agenda. We’re excited to see you there and discuss the impact and future of retroactive public goods funding. Feel free to drop any suggestions for the discussion topics beforehand. Let’s make this call productive and engaging! See you soon — Michael.

• Impact Metrics for Retro Funding 5

  In the forum post titled “Impact Metrics for Retro Funding 5,” Open Source Observer discusses their support for the latest retro funding round by offering a suite of impact metrics tailored for OP Stack contributions. These metrics aim to provide human voters with valuable “data in the loop” to complement projects’ self-reported impact statements. The metrics are categorized into basic GitHub stats, contributor counts (including trusted contributors), and trust-weighted metrics, which use OpenRank algorithms to assess contributions across numerous repos. The post details the fields included in the analysis, such as contributor numbers and GitHub stars, and emphasizes the evolving nature of these metrics. It notes that while these metrics are helpful, they rely solely on public GitHub activity and should not replace thorough due diligence by voters. The complete source code and data are available for public scrutiny, inviting feedback and discussion on GitHub.

• Cycle 28 Intent 3A Mission Request and Sponsorship

  The forum post titled “Cycle 28 Intent 3A Mission Request and Sponsorship” calls for mission proposals to be considered by the Grants Council, with a remaining budget of 15,000 OP. Participants are instructed to follow specific steps: copying the provided template, creating a new forum post, tagging it appropriately, and indicating if they are seeking sponsorship. The post encourages engagement by accessing a linked template and requires users to share the link to their proposal in the forum thread.

• Retro Funding 5: Bribery Policy

  In the forum post titled “Retro Funding 5: Bribery Policy,” the discussion focuses on the anti-bribery policy for Round 5 of the Optimism protocol’s governance. Participants, known as Optimists, are urged to avoid self-dealing, with mechanisms in place to reduce these opportunities through incentive designs and voting. The policy outlines a reporting and enforcement process for tackling bribery, requiring three separate reports to validate allegations, followed by enforcement actions. These actions include disqualification from future rounds or removal from current funding opportunities, subject to Citizens’ House approval. Any enforcement proposal must be presented and is subject to veto within a week. The post emphasizes the evolving nature of governance decisions concerning bribery and self-dealing.

• Badgeholder Onchain Analysis

  The forum post titled “Badgeholder Onchain Analysis” delves into the on-chain behavior of Badgeholders within the Superchain ecosystem, which encompasses networks like OP Mainnet, Base, Zora, and Mode. The analysis contrasts Badgeholders with Non-Badgeholders, revealing that while Badgeholders have a significant account age, their overall activity is lower. Badgeholders favor transactions on Ethereum and engage heavily in token transfers on a limited number of decentralized exchanges. A significant portion of them are also connected with Farcaster, suggesting high social engagement. The insights from this study aim to help the Optimism Collective enhance Badgeholder participation and community integration across the Superchain.

• Zk Toolkit for ZK Application Developers: Mission updates

  WakeUp Labs is developing a ZK Identity Toolkit for developers building on the Superchain, prioritizing self-sovereign identity and privacy through cutting-edge zero-knowledge (ZK) technology. This toolkit is designed for seamless integration with decentralized applications (dApps), enhancing security and user trust by enabling developers to incorporate ZK proofs effectively. The mission is to empower individuals with full control over their identities, ensuring privacy and security. WakeUp Labs will continue updating the community on their progress via this thread and encourages followers to stay connected through social media for further updates.

• Cycle 28 Grants Council Audits implementation

  Optimism Collective has launched a new audit mission request system approved by the Token House, simplifying the process for eligible auditors to apply for specific audits. This initiative allows auditors to simultaneously apply for whitelisting and audit jobs, eliminating the need for pre-approved budgets. Key to its operation are three steps: applying for the whitelist, submitting audit applications, and reaching out to whitelisted audit providers via the audit hub. This process aims to bolster the Optimism ecosystem by subsidizing smart contract audits for promising projects. The Grants Council and a subcommittee review the whitelisting applications using a five-question rubric focused on the applicant’s experience and transparency.

Upcoming Votes

1 Proposals live at the time of writing this report, no upcoming proposals detected