DAOs increasingly deploy targeted incentive programs like Arbitrum’s proposed $80 million DRIP initiative. These programs reward specific behaviors like liquidity provision or protocol usage, moving beyond blanket token distributions. DRIP’s foundation-led committee structure represents a hybrid approach balancing efficiency with community oversight.
ApeCoin’s potential transition to “ApeCo” reflects another adaptation, seeking streamlined governance for faster decision-making. This acknowledges challenges in scaling fully decentralized models while maintaining responsiveness.
These experiments highlight DAOs’ evolution toward sustainable growth mechanisms. Programs now commonly include sunset clauses (like DRIP’s DAO shutdown option) and metrics-based reward distribution, aiming to avoid inflationary traps while stimulating genuine ecosystem activity.