MolochDAOs

MolochDAOs are a family of Ethereum-based decentralized autonomous organizations that implement the MolochDAO governance framework to coordinate funding for open-source software and other public goods. Originating with the original MolochDAO launched in 2019 by a group including Ameen Soleimani, the design emphasizes simplicity and capital efficiency, with a focus on reducing on-chain governance overhead while providing a treasury to fund shared projects.

Core features include a shared treasury (the guild bank), a minimal membership structure with shares representing influence, and a proposal process that requires a deposit to deter spam. Proposals that pass allocate funds from the treasury to grantees; members can ragequit by burning their shares and withdrawing a proportional portion of the treasury after pending proposals are resolved. This mechanism ensures liquidity and protects dissenting members while enabling broad participation.

MolochDAOs have inspired a number of spin-offs and derivatives, adopted by Ethereum developers and researchers seeking to fund ecosystem-friendly public goods with a lightweight governance model. Notable offshoots have adapted the framework to different risk tolerances and funding priorities, while some projects evolved into more feature-rich variants (e.g., Moloch v2).

Critiques of Moloch-style DAOs include concerns about capture by large holders, the risk of misalignment between treasury spending and broader community interests, and potential governance bottlenecks due to the single-tier voting and ragequit dynamics. Nonetheless, the model remains influential in discussions of on-chain governance and open-source funding.