The Evolution of DAOs: Merging Technology and Collaboration

In this episode of the Slow Hunch, I spoke with Aaron Wright, the co-founder and CEO of Tribute Labs. 

Aaron has been exploring how to harness the collective knowledge, energy, and capital of online communities for 20 years, from his early work at Wikipedia to his current focus on decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) and AI agents.

Aaron believes major technological shifts lead to equally significant changes in organizational structures. He sees DAOs as the next evolution after the joint stock company that transformed capitalism centuries ago. According to him, thin layers of technology will enable coordination and collaboration at unprecedented scales - from hundreds to potentially millions of people.

In our conversation, we explored how blockchains are enabling new forms of collaboration and how embedding AI on top of these coordination layers might fundamentally change how we organize ourselves and our capital.

I've been following Aaron's work for years, and we've had the pleasure of investing in Tribute Labs at USV. Hope you enjoy!

Chapters:

• 00:00:00 Cold open
• 00:02:07 Aaron’s slow hunch
• 00:10:58 The evolution of DAOs
• 00:15:31 Aaron’s early experiences at wikipedia and ethereum
• 00:37:21 His work with OpenLaw
• 00:42:46 The rise of investment DAOs
• 00:53:03 AI and the adjacent possible
• 01:08:30 The future of AI and ownership