Who should I follow to learn about DAOs?

If you want to **actually understand DAOs rather than just follow crypto influencers**, I'd build a small feed around people who think about governance, coordination, incentives, and real DAO operations. ### My shortlist - **Vitalik Buterin** - Best for the *why* behind decentralized governance. His writing on governance, delegation, plutocracy, and alternatives to token voting is foundational. Ethereum's own governance resources point to several of his essays. [Ethereum Governance | ethereum.org](https://ethereum.org/governance/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - **Chris Burniske** - Good for the intersection of crypto networks, governance, social coordination, and investment. More accessible than purely academic governance research. - **Michael Zargham** - Follow if you want the *mechanism-design* side: voting systems, conviction voting, institutional design, and how governance behaves as a complex system. [Best DAO Tokenomics Experts for Governance Design](https://www.findas.org/blogs/articles/top-tokenomics-experts-for-daos-governance?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - **Tarun Chitra** - Particularly useful for DeFi governance: how DAOs actually control protocol parameters, incentives, and risk. - **Trent McConaghy** - Excellent for token engineering and incentive design - useful for understanding why governance mechanisms produce particular behaviors. - **Angela Kreitenweis** - Worth following for voting design, participation, legitimacy, and governance-process questions. [Best DAO Tokenomics Experts for Governance Design](https://www.findas.org/blogs/articles/top-tokenomics-experts-for-daos-governance?utm_source=chatgpt.com) ### Also follow the organizations, not just individuals - **Ethereum governance** - Probably the best place to learn the distinction between *onchain* and *offchain* governance. Interestingly, Ethereum itself uses primarily offchain governance, while many applications built on Ethereum use DAOs. [Ethereum Governance | ethereum.org](https://ethereum.org/governance/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - **ENS DAO** - A particularly useful real-world case study because you can watch delegates, stewards, proposals, and working groups operate. [ENS DAO Stewards | ENS Docs](https://docs.ens.domains/dao/stewards/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - **Snapshot / Tally / Agora** - Follow the tooling ecosystem to see how actual DAO voting and delegation work. Ethereum currently lists all three among its DAO governance tools. [List of DAO tools on Ethereum | ⁦ethereum.org⁩](https://ethereum.org/apps/categories/dao/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) - **DAOhaus** - Great for browsing actual DAOs rather than reading theory. Its explorer currently tracks more than 1,000 organizations and lets you examine proposals, treasuries, activity, and governance. [Explore - daohaus.com](https://daohaus.com/en/explore?utm_source=chatgpt.com) ### If you're starting from zero I'd go in this order: **Vitalik → Ethereum governance → ENS DAO → Michael Zargham → real DAO proposals → token/incentive design.** The key thing to learn is that **a DAO isn't simply "a company where everyone votes."** The interesting questions are: *Who gets voting power? Who actually participates? Who delegates? How are incentives designed? Who controls the treasury? What happens when voters are apathetic or collude?* Those are where DAO theory gets genuinely interesting. [What is a DAO? | Decentralized Autonomous Organization | ethereum.org](https://ethereum.org/dao/?utm_source=chatgpt.com) If you tell me whether you're interested in **DAOs as an investor, builder, researcher, or someone who wants to join one**, I can give you a much tighter 10-person follow list.

**Follow DAO experts like Grace Rachmany, Sven Van Kerckhoven, and Raoul Pal for practical governance, academic insight, and macro context.** These voices cover the spectrum from hands-on DAO building to theoretical frameworks and broader Web3 narratives. ## 🌐 Key DAO Thought Leaders to Follow Expert| Focus Area| Why Follow Them?| Where to Find Them ---|---|---|--- **Grace(Rebecca) Rachmany**| DAO consulting, tokenomics, governance| Practical experience with 200+ blockchain projects; honest takes on token design and decentralized leadership| DAO Leadership blog, workshops, books like _So You’ve Got a DAO_ [DAO Consulting, Token Design & Specifications | DAO Leadership](https://www.daoleadership.com/) **Sven Van Kerckhoven**| Academic governance & economics| Assistant Professor at Brussels School of Governance; rigorous research on DAO structures and economic implications| Academic publications, DAO-focused books [3 The DAO Books Experts Recommend for Deep Insight - BookAuthority](https://bookauthority.org/books/best-the-dao-books) **Alex Anderson**| Accessible blockchain education| Simplifies complex DAO and blockchain concepts for newcomers| Books and educational content [3 The DAO Books Experts Recommend for Deep Insight - BookAuthority](https://bookauthority.org/books/best-the-dao-books) **Terry Winters**| DAO launch strategies| Practical guidance for setting up DAOs in hedge funds, charities, and communities| Books and applied case studies [3 The DAO Books Experts Recommend for Deep Insight - BookAuthority](https://bookauthority.org/books/best-the-dao-books) **Raoul Pal**| Macro cycles & Web3 narratives| Connects global liquidity and adoption trends to DAO and crypto ecosystems| Real Vision, Twitter/X [Top Crypto Thought Leaders 2026 | Raoul Pal and more](https://bestweb3apps.com/crypto-thought-leaders/) ## 📚 Additional Resources * **DAO Workshops & Conferences**: The European DAO Workshop (DAWO) publishes proceedings on DAO evolution and practice, offering cutting-edge insights from researchers and practitioners [Decentralized Autonomous Organizations - Evolution, Practice, and Prospects: Proceedings of the 3rd European DAO Workshop (DAWO), Winterthur, Switzerland, 2026 | Springer Nature Link](https://link.springer.com/book/9783032400093). * **Books** : Titles like _Decentralized Autonomous Organizations_ (Kerckhoven & Chohan) provide multidisciplinary analysis, while practical guides like _So You’ve Got a DAO_ focus on implementation. * **Influencer Lists**: Broader ecosystems rankings (e.g., Thinkers360) highlight DAO-related voices within global thought leadership networks [Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Ecosystems 2026 | Thinkers360](https://www.thinkers360.com/top-50-global-thought-leaders-and-influencers-on-ecosystems-2026/). ## ⚠️ Risks & Considerations * **Hype vs. Substance**: Many influencers in crypto focus on price speculation. For DAOs, prioritize those who publish frameworks, governance models, and case studies rather than trading calls. * **Fragmented Knowledge**: DAO expertise is spread across academics, consultants, and macro thinkers. Following a mix ensures you don’t get stuck in one perspective. * **Scams & Misaligned Incentives**: Be cautious of “DAO experts” who push token sales or unrealistic governance models. Stick to voices with proven track records in research or consulting. 👉 If you’re just starting, I’d recommend **Grace Rachmany for practical governance**, **Sven Van Kerckhoven for academic grounding**, and **Raoul Pal for macro context**. Together, they give you a balanced view of DAOs from theory to practice. Would you like me to curate a **starter reading list (books, blogs, and talks)** so you can dive deeper into DAO governance and design?

To dive deep into Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs), you should follow a mix of researchers, builders, operators, and writers who actively shape governance models and community structures. **Key Builders and Researchers** * **Cooper Turley** ([@Cooopahtroopah](https://www.google.com/search?q=https://twitter.com/Cooopahtroopah)): A leading voice on social tokens, creator economies, and the operational mechanics of social DAOs like Friends with Benefits (FWB). [The Investor's Guide to DAOs - Blockworks](https://blockworks.com/news/the-investors-guide-to-daos#:~:text=%E2%80%9CCooper%20is%20an%20an%20operator%2C%20advisor%20%26,outlook%20for%20the%20rest%20of%202021.%20%E2%80%A6%E2%80%9D) * **Vitalik Buterin** : Ethereum's co-founder frequently publishes foundational essays on decentralized governance, cryptoeconomics, and the evolution of DAO voting mechanisms (like quadratic voting). * **Aaron Wright** : Co-founder of OpenLaw and a prominent legal scholar specializing in the intersection of DAOs and traditional corporate law. **Writers, Curators, and Thinkers** * **Packy McCormick** ([@packyM](https://twitter.com/packyM)): Author of _Not Boring_ , known for deep-dive case studies on major DAOs and token economies. * **Jarrad Hope** and the **Aragon Team** : Essential follows for understanding the infrastructure, tooling, and operational frameworks used to deploy and manage DAOs. * **Nathan Schneider** : Media scholar and professor at University of Colorado Boulder who researches exit-to-community and cooperative governance models. **Essential Hubs and Communities** * **Bankless** ([@BanklessHQ](https://www.google.com/search?q=https://twitter.com/BanklessHQ)): Excellent media ecosystem for tracking practical tutorials, podcasts, and deep dives into the broader decentralized finance (DeFi) and DAO landscape. [Your DAO Guide - The Most Important DAO Categories ... - Ledger](https://www.ledger.com/academy/your-dao-guide#:~:text=Two%20notable%20projects%20include%20Bankless%20Dao%20and,social%20tokens%20in%20an%20inclusive%2C%20friendly%20environment.) * **DeepDAO** : A data analytics platform that tracks DAO treasuries, voting participation, and growth metrics, providing phenomenal baseline research. [The Investor's Guide to DAOs - Blockworks](https://blockworks.com/news/the-investors-guide-to-daos#:~:text=Other%20Resources.%20Deep%20DAO.%20Last%20updated%20November,about%20more%20than%20100%20DAOs%20and%20counting.) What specific aspect of DAOs are you most interested in exploring first - governance frameworks, legal structures, or community building?

To truly understand Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) - ranging from governance mechanics and tokenomics to legal structures and community coordination - you need to follow builders, researchers, and operators who are actively experimenting in the space. The most insightful voices, organizations, and resources to follow include the following: Top Thinkers & Researchers * * _Cooper Turley_ ($coopahtroopa on X/Twitter): A pioneer in the social token and DAO ecosystem, known for his deep-dive newsletters and advisory work tracking how communities organize, fund, and reward contributors. * _Vitalik Buterin_ ([@VitalikButerin on X/Twitter](https://x.com/VitalikButerin)): The co-founder of Ethereum frequently writes comprehensive blog posts and social threads on decentralized governance, cryptoeconomics, and the structural flaws and philosophical potential of DAOs. * Griff Green (@100PercentHodl on X/Twitter): Co-founder of The Commons Stack and Giveth, and a veteran of early DAO history (including the original DAO era). He is an essential follow for governance design and token engineering. * _Pete Huang_ (@PeteHuang on X/Twitter): Focuses heavily on the intersection of DAOs, organizational psychology, law, and corporate governance alternatives. * Essential Organizations & Media * * Bankless (@BanklessHQ on X/Twitter): Through their media platform, podcasts, and the community-led [BanklessDAO](https://www.bankless.com/the-ultimate-dao-report), they constantly publish breakdowns on how decentralized coordination functions in practice. Check out [Bankless](https://www.bankless.com/) for guides and reports. * Llama (@llama_xyz on X/Twitter): A collaborative financial services and governance coordination group for DAOs. They provide elite-tier research and tooling regarding DAO treasuries, budgeting, and risk management. * Outlier Ventures (@OutlierVentures on X/Twitter): A Web3 accelerator that frequently publishes thesis papers and operational playbooks on DAO governance frameworks and legal structuring. [The Ultimate DAO Report - Bankless](https://www.bankless.com/the-ultimate-dao-report) * Are you looking to learn about DAOs from a **legal/governance angle** , an **operational/contributor perspective** , or do you want to **build your own DAO**? Let me know so I can point you toward specific toolkits or reading material.