Name: Nathan van der Heyden for Snapshot Labs

Address or ENS: nathanvdh.eth for shot.eth

Discord username: NathanVDH #5647

Verification (Tally profile or tweet): https://twitter.com/NathanVDH0x/status/1525113233593491456

I have read and understood the Delegate Commitment Process: Yes

I understand that becoming a delegate is a significant commitment: Yes

My reasons for wanting to be a delegate: Snapshot’s team is very diverse, but there’s one thing we all share - we’re huge governance nerds. For us, blockchain governance and DAOs are the perfect infrastructure for the diverse communities that will be formed this century. Over the last few years, we’ve worked hard to support that diversity. We’ve added support for different voting systems (quadratic, weighted, ranked-choice,…), strategies that allow DAOs to attribute voting power to NFTs, POAPs, ERC-1155, or any kind of tokens. A well-designed DAO thrives when its community thrives and vice-versa. We want to participate in this experiment and help design an infrastructure that rewards public goods because we know from first-hand experience how tough it is to build them.

My view on the Optimistic Vision: We’d like to discuss here three key ideas found in the interpretation section of the Working Constitution, as these guiding principles are key to the Optimistic Vision. First, we fully agree with the necessity of minimizing governance. I think a better framework to use here is to clearly define the tasks and decisions pertinent to each level of the Optimism governance structure. Avoiding governance fatigue means only bringing the most important decisions to the community. For this reason, we fully support the delegate system.

Second, fixing the current plutocratic state of governance is trickier than it seems. There is a clear gap between the current dominant idea that token voting sucks and the reality of blockchain governance where an immense majority of projects still use token voting. Achieving a balance between financial stake and humanhood is a complex issue, but we strongly believe that the Optimism Collective has one of the best chances at solving this issue - which is why we’re applying to be delegates.

Finally, we strongly believe in the necessity of funding public goods. For the first year of its existence, Snapshot survived from donations - Gitcoin, and a few generous projects such as Balancer or Curve. If it wasn’t for their generosity, Snapshot wouldn’t exist today. During that time, most of the biggest web3 projects were already using it. We are 100% committed to helping new public good projects grow and serve the ecosystem, and we strongly believe we’ll benefit significantly from that cultural shift.

My view on the first three articles of the Working Constitution: Adding to what’s written in the first article, it’s necessary to innovate in terms of blockchain governance. The clock is ticking in terms of planet-wide coordination problems and the insights we can gain here have the power to change that. We have a moral duty to be pioneers of a system where looking out for one another is rewarded, and doesn’t come at an economic cost.

In the second article, I’d like to add that conflict is the default state of any democracy. Conflict is good, it’s a sign that dialog is possible and encouraged. It should be fostered, and key to the economic and ethical health of the governance structure.

Finally, the third article is a necessary measure and we believe that, as the first article states, this is something we’ll be able to discuss more in-depth once the Optimism Collective has found its footing and is ready to decentralize these responsibilities.

My Web3 interests: DAOs, Governance, Infrastructure, Social Impact, Identity

Languages I speak and write: Across the Snapshot team, you will find native speakers of English, French, German, Mandarin, Italian, Indonesian, Hindi, and many more.

My skills and areas of expertise: Designing governance systems and implementing them.

My favorite Web3 projects: Gitcoin, Balancer, Open Zeppelin