The first DAO appeared in 2016 and lasted three months. But the idea survived. How groups of people now manage millions—without an office, a staffing table, or a single leader.
In April 2016, a team of developers from Berlin launched The DAO—an organization without a director, legal address, or even employees. All governance took place through blockchain voting. Within a month, the community raised 12.7 million ETH (then worth about $150 million).
It was a revolution: power wasn't transferred—it was distributed.
Three months later, a hacker withdrew a third of the funds. The project was shut down. But the idea didn't die. It transformed.
A DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) is not a company. It is a set of rules written in code, and a community that follows those rules.
No CEO. No board of directors. There is:
- a token, which grants voting rights,
- a wallet, where everyone contributes funds,
- a smart contract, which executes decisions automatically.
The decision to purchase an asset, launch a grant, or change the rules is made by voting. And as soon as a quorum is reached, the contract automatically transfers the money. No signatures. No delays. No trust in the "person in charge."
After the collapse of The DAO, DAOs began to develop in niches where speed and transparency are more important than hierarchy:
- MakerDAO manages the DAI stablecoin and billions of dollars in liquidity—decisions are made by MKR token holders.
- ConstitutionDAO raised $47 million in 72 hours in 2021 to purchase the original US Constitution. While the goal was not reached, it demonstrated the power of instant unification.
- Gitcoin DAO distributes millions of dollars to open-source projects—voting is done by those who write the code themselves.
- Krause House DAO is trying to buy an NBA basketball team so that fans can run the team.
This isn't the "office of the future." It's a tool for those tired of waiting for decisions.
DAOs seem ideal until they collide with reality.
- Low turnout: often only 1-5% of participants vote. Decisions are made by a minority.
- Legal gray area: in many countries, DAOs have no legal status. Who's responsible if something goes wrong?
- Governance attacks: if tokens are concentrated in a few addresses, they can dictate the will of others.
- Slowness: agreeing on a decision among thousands of people is more difficult than on a board of five.
DAOs don't abolish human nature. They bring it to the surface.
Today, DAOs are a tool for enthusiasts. But tomorrow, they could become the standard for everything built by the community:
- farmer cooperatives distributing profits through voting,
- building residents managing their repairs and budgets without a management company,
- research groups funding projects according to internal rules.
The future of DAOs isn't to replace all companies, but to provide an alternative where hierarchy gets in the way. Where purpose, not career advancement, is more important.
DAOs remind us: an organization isn't a building or a staffing table. It's an agreement between people.
And if one day you contribute to a project, vote for a grant, or decide how to spend a shared budget, you won't become an "employee."
You'll become a participant.
And in a world where trust is more valuable than power, this could be the new definition of success.
Updated 04.01.2026
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