Aave Founder Stani Kulechov Seeks Major DAO Governance Revamp After 2025 Disputes

On 12 March 2026, Aave founder Stani Kulechov called for a major redesign of DAO governance, arguing that everyday decisions should move from token voters to professional teams while tokenholders retain authority over key protocol changes. His comments follow a series of 2025 conflicts at Aave, including a $42.5M–$50M funding proposal dispute, an IP transfer rejection, and the exit of key contributors, as three wallets now hold over 58% of the protocol's voting power despite $26.5B in total value locked.