Vitalik Buterin Calls for Major Overhaul in DAO Governance Models

Highlights:

• Vitalik Buterin urges a shift from token-based voting models to more sophisticated DAO designs.
• DAOs must overcome privacy and decision fatigue issues using tools like ZKPs and AI.
• Future DAOs should focus on specialized governance models for better decision-making.

Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin is proposing a major reform for decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs). In a recent post, he said that the existing token-voting system in DAOs has proven ineffective, slow, and prone to manipulation by large players. Although the token-voting model seemed to be effective initially, Buterin stressed that it does not address the fundamental problems that DAOs are meant to solve.

Vitalik Buterin Calls for a Better DAO Design

In his post, Vitalik Buterin noted that the initial purpose of DAOs was to provide more efficient governance and management of resources compared to traditional systems. The most common model of token-holder voting has turned DAOs into mere treasuries. Issues faced by these organizations include decision fatigue and privacy issues. Buterin urged that this setup not only does not address the weaknesses of human politics but also exposes governance to manipulation, making it less effective.

We need more DAOs – but different and better DAOs.

The original drive to build Ethereum was heavily inspired by decentralized autonomous organizations: systems of code and rules that lived on decentralized networks that could manage resources and direct activity, more…

— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) January 19, 2026

The solution to these issues proposed by Buterin is to create a new generation of DAOs with more advanced governance structures. He emphasized that better privacy should be ensured by zero-knowledge proofs. Such tools can prevent the transformation of governance in DAOs into a popularity-driven process. ZK privacy allows members to vote without making their decision public, which makes the governance process more secure and private.

Improving Oracles and Dispute Resolution

Another key element of the proposal by Vitalik Buterin is the enhancement of oracles. These systems provide crucial data to decentralized finance (DeFi) applications, such as stablecoins and prediction markets. Buterin criticized existing token-based oracles, claiming that they are too easily manipulated by whales. He highlighted that oracles should be preceded by designs that enhance security and reduce the chances of attacks. This approach will consequently help them provide reliable data without threatening the stability of underlying assets.

Buterin also pointed out the role of DAOs in solving on-chain disputes. These include those encountered in decentralized insurance or other complex smart contract applications. By introducing better tools for dispute resolution and establishing common resources, such as verified token addresses and lists of secure applications, DAOs can become more practical platforms that can maintain projects in the long term even when the original team is no longer involved.

Solving Privacy and Decision Fatigue

One of the key problems that Buterin noted in DAO governance is the issue of decision fatigue. He said that the early adopters of DAOs are excited, but as time goes on, the requirement to vote and participate in decision-making leads to declining participation. To address this, Buterin proposed to use AI to help in decision-making and ease the mental burden on participants. AI would assist in simplifying the process and giving insights. Moreover, it would even allow users to delegate their voting preferences.

However, Buterin stressed that AI is not to be used to eliminate human intervention. Rather, it should augment human judgment and enhance the decision-making process without taking over the governance entirely.

He further proposed the introduction of a layer of communication to DAOs to facilitate the discussion and enhance engagement. Buterin says that this would guarantee that the decentralization principles of Ethereum go beyond the base layer to systems built on top of it. The co-founder recently said that Ethereum’s network’s core values, such as self-governance and trustlessness, must be achieved in 2026.

VITALIK BUTERIN: "Going mainstream has hurt Ethereum's decentralization and reversing this is a priority in 2026." pic.twitter.com/WpVGTMAm4i

— Coinvo (@Coinvo) January 17, 2026