One of Uniswap Dao’s top contributors went away in frustration Monday in the midst of concern that other stakeholders have too much power over the decentralized protocol.

Pepo, a pseudonym delegate that other token holders entrusted to vote on their behalf, had participated in Uniswap’s governance since 2023. He practiced 455,000 uni -tookens, making him one of the 20 largest delegates.

The reason for the departure? Other organizations involved in the operation of Uniswap -primarily nonprofit -uniswap foundation -have pushed DAO members’ statements aside and have been undeveloped for feedback, Pepo said in an X post.

“The behavior of the foundation seems to have prioritized insulation rather than cooperation, and may have actively damaged uniswap,” Pepo said.

Devin Walsh, CEO of the Uniswap Foundation, did not give a direct comment to Coindesk when asked about the accusation. However, she gave a counter -movement on social media.

“Delegated participation is important for the success of the Uniswap ecosystem,” she said at X. “The Uniswap Foundation takes their feedback seriously.”

Uniswap is the largest decentralized exchange with approx. 4 billion dollars of deposits down 60% from its peak of nearly $ 10 billion on total value-locked over the course of 2021-2022At According to Defillama -Data.

Like many defi protocols, uniswap is controlled and controlled through a somewhat byzantine structure.

The protocol was created by Uniswap Labs, a pre-profit company that is also responsible for its continued development. Uniswap Foundation, a nonprofit, is tasked with supporting Uniswap and its society, while protocol changes and allocation of resources are controlled by Uniswap DAO, a type of crypto collective guided by the uni -token holders.

In March, the DAO Foundation awarded $ 165 million to increase uniswap ecosystem growth and development. This gave the foundation a mandate to do certain things in the pursuit of its goals without directly consulting DAO.

Some, like Pepo, feel that the Uniswap Foundation’s actions put DAO’s interests behind themselves and uniswap laboratories.

This situation highlights the sustained struggle to balance the defi -protocol -token holders with other stakeholders’ interests with them from other stakeholders.

Not the first time

Pepo is not the only one that highlights a perceived lack of DAO control on Uniswap.

In October, Billy Gao, Vice President of Stanford Blockchain Club, said a uniswap delegate, Uniswap Labs’ sudden decision to launch his own blockchain “raised serious questions about DAO government.”

Gao claimed that Uniswap Dao should have been told about blockchain ahead of time and were allowed to weigh on key decisions in its implementation. “It calls for questioning (again), where decentralized [Uniswap’s] In fact, control is, ”he said.

Uniswap Labs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Others have questioned how the Uniswap Foundation uses the funds allocated to it and have complained that it is not transparent enough about its expenses and decision making.

“Transparency and communication are values ​​that many delegates agree with,” Doo Wan Nam, co-founder of DAO Governance Solutions provider Stacklab, a Uniswap delegate, told Coindesk. “There have been improvements.”

On May 1, the Uniswap Foundation responded to criticism by creating a Foundation Feedback Group intended to ensure effective communication and strengthen the responsibility between the foundation and the DAO.

As a nonprofit business, the fund must legally publish its finances.

But the problem is that for some delegates it is not enough.

“It’s a loss for any DAO every time a delegate feels that the only way to make an impact is by stepping down,” paper empire, government connection at Uniswap Dao Delegate GFX Labs, told Coindesk.

Behind the scenes

Some government participants also complained about a lot of Uniswap Dao communication and decision making privately instead of public at Uniswap Governance Forums.

This has led to complaints that larger decisions are all agreed by large delegates behind closed doors before going to a public vote.

It is necessary for suggestions to receive a degree of feedback before they are publicly presented, Nam said.

It is not in contrast to traditional governance. “Congress members will not just blindly write bills without talking to relevant stakeholders or other congressmen,” Nam said.

But it’s a double -edged sword. As DAOS matures, there is also a feeling that they are becoming more about politics and performance rather than pursuing what is best for the protocol.

Several Uniswap delegates refused to comment on Coindesk when asked about the complaints highlighted by PEPO.

Read more: Uniswap passes $ 165 million. Financing plan after DAO vote