Proposal Name
Information Request - Role of Special Council
Proposal Category
Informational
Abstract
The goal of this AIP idea is to establish a clear understanding of the current responsibilities of the Special Council. The Ape Foundation and the current SC are asked to provide this information to the community within 15 days of this AIP passing in the form of a written document that clearly outlines the day-to-day responsibilities, requirements, and expectations of the SC members.
Motivation
Election season has amplified the focus on the Special Council role and compensation. The community and current SC have evolved the perceived responsibilities of the role to a point where they are no longer in line with how they’re outlined in AIP- 137 . This disconnect is causing a significant amount of confusion both within and outside the DAO.
The written description of the role in AIP- 137 includes these expectations:
attend weekly, or on an as-needed basis, council meetings
review AIPs at meetings or by email
commit 3 or more hours per week or as sufficient time as needed to the role
a key function of Special Council members is to work with and assess AIPs and their authors
What was originally a board of directors type role with a minimal time commitment has evolved into what the current SC members describe as a full-time plus job. Given the significant responsibility and compensation for the role, mixed with the lack of transparency on what exactly this role entails, let’s harness this renewed focus on the SC as a chance to clearly define the role and its place in DAO governance.
Special Council details from AIP- 137
AIP- 137 : The Special Council Nomination Process
AIP- 137 : The Special Council Nomination Process
Experience & Expectations of Applicants
Elected Special Council members are expected to attend weekly, or on an as-needed basis, council meetings, review AIPs at meetings or by email, and commit 3 or more hours per week or as sufficient time as needed to the role. A standard non-disclosure agreement shall be entered into with the Ape Foundation and KYC documents shall be collected as well.
Given that a key function of Special Council members is to work with and assess AIPs and their authors, it would be beneficial if then Applicant’s skills, knowledge and abilities are collectively suited to the AIP categories. Below are listed the AIP categories, along with the types of competencies and experiences that would suggest a candidate has expertise relevant to that particular category.
Ecosystem Fund Allocation: Since Ecosystem Fund AIPs deal with how to use the DAO’s treasury funds, it would be ideal for a Special Council member to have:
Educational and/or professional credentials in accounting, finance, business, economics or a related discipline;
Proven experience working in/managing/directing large corporations; and
Exposure to virtual assets and cryptocurrencies.
Brand Decision & Informational: Given that Brand Decision and Informational AIPs deal with all matters related to what the DAO attaches its name, including projects, strategies, and identity, it would be ideal for a Special Council member to have:
Educational and/or professional credentials in marketing, public relations, and/or a related discipline;
Proven experience working in/managing/directing large corporations;
An entrepreneurial mindset;
Excellent communication and writing skills; and
Exposure to virtual assets and cryptocurrencies.
Process: Given that Process AIPs deal with DAO governance, it would be ideal for a Special Council member to have:
Educational and/or professional credentials in law, politics, policy and/or corporate governance;
Excellent communication and writing skills; and
Exposure to virtual assets and cryptocurrencies.
Rationale
One of the DAO’s Guiding Values is Transparency. The DAO will have the opportunity to improve its governance process with transparent communication around the role of the Special Council.
Specifications
ApeCoin Discourse Forum
Steps to Implement
The Ape Foundation and the current SC are asked to provide this information to the community within 15 days of this AIP passing in the form of a Forum post in the Special Council section that clearly outlines the day-to-day responsibilities, requirements, and expectations of the SC members.
Timeline
The Ape Foundation and / or current SC will create a forum post detailing the role of the SC within 15 days of this proposal passing.
Overall Cost
$ 0
The proposal aims to clarify the responsibilities of the Special Council (SC) within the Ape Foundation, as there is confusion surrounding the role and compensation. The request is for the Ape Foundation and the current SC to provide a written document outlining the daily responsibilities, requirements, and expectations of SC members within 15 days of the proposal passing. This clarification is seen as an opportunity to define the SC role clearly and enhance transparency in the DAO governance process.
badteeth: bigbull:
I don’t agree to all the points mentioned
Below is all the AIP is asking to do, is there something you’d do differently here?
badteeth:
The goal of this AIP idea is to:
Establish a clear understanding of the current responsibilities of the Special Council - the Ape Foundation and the current SC are asked to provide this information to the community within 15 days of this AIP passing in the form of a written document that clearly outlines the day-to-day responsibilities, requirements, and expectations of the SC members
Upon receipt of #1, the community can determine if the current structure of the SC is the most effective way of dealing with their responsibilities for the DAO and decide on a path forward
Thanks,
BT
It was never anything like a Board of Directors role. Board of Facilitators, maybe? Steering Comm…
It was never anything like a Board of Directors role. Board of Facilitators, maybe? Steering Committee?
Terms matter. A Board of Directors makes and actions / delegates every impactful decision relating to the company, controls disbursements, hires and fires, and are ultimately responsible for those decisions. A BoD also has proper and transparent oversight, accounting and auditing, Shareholders have no say.
SC doesn’t make or action / direct decisions on its own, has no transparency, oversight, accounting or auditing, and can’t reasonably be said to be responsible for the bad decision / votes of the token holders which have all of the say on operations, disbursements, hiring and firing.
Totally agree with transparency. Very long overdue.
Agreed. The reason for the confusion is that it’s defined as a, “Board” on the website:
THE BOARD
…
Agreed. The reason for the confusion is that it’s defined as a, “Board” on the website:
THE BOARD
A special council on the APE Foundation (the DAO’s “Board”) provides, at the behest of the ApeCoin DAO members, oversight of the Foundation administrators. The purpose of the Board is to administer DAO proposals and serve the vision of the community. It meets on proposals requiring administrative review under ApeCoin DAO rules. The initial Board serves a term of six months, after which DAO members will vote annually on Board members.
Hopefully this AIP will provide a path forward to clarifying the role and responsibilities.
BT
Hello. I am suprised by this request. As paid Steward in Q 1 & Q 2 of this year, @badteeth you wo…
Hello. I am suprised by this request. As paid Steward in Q 1 & Q 2 of this year, @badteeth you worked with Special Council to replace administrators and gain a further understanding of the activities surrounding the Foundation Company. To my knowledge, you worked closely w/ special council.
Can you share some details about your experience as WG 0 Steward? And share any attestations as to the workload you’ve seen special council perform? Do you believe its worth upending the structure as suggested in objective # 2 ? And what ramifications could that have on stability of operations?
Not sure what my WG 0 experience has to do with the SC role. The DAO is evolving, the lack of clar…
Not sure what my WG 0 experience has to do with the SC role. The DAO is evolving, the lack of clarity around the SC role is clearly a pain point that needs to be addressed.
This isn’t a judgement on the SC, if anything they’ve gone above and beyond in the role. At the end of the day I believe it’s important that we have clarity around all elected positions.
@ 0 xSword i agree with @badteeth here. His experience as a steward may count. But he’s not the onl…
@ 0 xSword i agree with @badteeth here. His experience as a steward may count. But he’s not the only member of the council. The details based on the AIP for the special council might not have been enough. Some sort of clarity on his roles as well as every member of the council might help. Then again, other members could voice out if they have any challenge with their role.
badteeth: Hi @OnlyDVC,
Wanted to clarify that while I worked with the SC during my time as an elected WG0 Steward from Jan-Apr this year, I did not serve as a member of the Special Council. Thank you,
BT
I love the idea and I believe SC transparency is essential moving foward. Heavily in favor of this …
I love the idea and I believe SC transparency is essential moving foward. Heavily in favor of this AIP.
I like this idea. More clarification as the roles have evolved, this will avoid some fud from the c…
I like this idea. More clarification as the roles have evolved, this will avoid some fud from the community and outside once roles are clearly defined. I do not have experience with the DAO as I am fairly new here, but I bet understanding what each individual does and how much time they spend on their tasks, how much they bring to the DAO would help everybody understand the council better.
I thought all the secrecy was because Special Council was just trying to fit in as “shadowy, facele…
I thought all the secrecy was because Special Council was just trying to fit in as “shadowy, faceless group of super-coders and miners.”
This is a much-needed proposal :handshake:
Hi @OnlyDVC,
Wanted to clarify that while I worked with the SC during my time as an elected WG 0 S…
Hi @OnlyDVC,
Wanted to clarify that while I worked with the SC during my time as an elected WG 0 Steward from Jan-Apr this year, I did not serve as a member of the Special Council. Thank you,
BT
A full on support on this AIP . Long overdue much needed clarification to clear the air on the conf…
A full on support on this AIP . Long overdue much needed clarification to clear the air on the confusion on the roles and responsibilities
I like the idea a lot. The original scope of work was very minimalistic described & most of our Spe…
I like the idea a lot. The original scope of work was very minimalistic described & most of our Special Council members said they were working more than full time. It would be good to know what priorities they’re spending their time etc.
Also, it would be nice to have at least every Q some progress reports, what they achieved with their time and role, or something like that. Continuously, not only before another voting phase.
A report on what they melt each day or week would be nice to know if they’re full time.
A report on what they melt each day or week would be nice to know if they’re full time.
“commit 3 or more hours per week or as sufficient time as needed to the role.”
This is way to vag…
“commit 3 or more hours per week or as sufficient time as needed to the role.”
This is way to vague. Top candidates would see this description as a big red flag. Sufficient time as needed can be any amount of time.
Special Council geographic location? Has this ever come up?
If they are all or mostly located in t…
Special Council geographic location? Has this ever come up?
If they are all or mostly located in the US could the DAO be deemed to be a US resident entity? Are there any concerns about Economic Substance requirements?
Ogier
Cayman Islands economic substance requirements - an overview | Ogier
Agree on both points @bigbull. I’m sure they’ve considered location, but it’s important to understa…
Agree on both points @bigbull. I’m sure they’ve considered location, but it’s important to understand all the requirements to serve as well. Thank you,
BT
