Thank you @decent_freedom for submitting this community proposal and continuing the tradition of community engagement in our governance process. We appreciate the thought behind recognizing active participants and understand the intent to strengthen community involvement.
We also want to acknowledge the thoughtful feedback from @AFFKKT,@Hypolithe, and @alexism. AFFKKT’s documentation of Sybil wallet behavior reinforces concerns we’ve observed across previous airdrops, and Hypolithe’s suggestion to incorporate Lasernet staking activity reflects genuine engagement that goes beyond simple vote participation. Alex’s comprehensive historical analysis and forward-looking framework truly adds valuable context to this discussion.
After careful consideration, the core team cannot support @decent_freedom’s proposal in its current form. We want to share our reasoning transparently so the community understands our perspective.
This year saw minimal governance activity, with only one Snapshot vote on the ZoopX oracle grant approval. The original intent of community airdrops was to incentivize active, ongoing governance engagement and reward meaningful contribution to decision-making. With limited voting opportunities in 2025, an airdrop of this magnitude doesn’t align well with that principle.
The proposed allocation of 274,500 DIA also represents a 3x increase over previous years. Given the reduced governance activity this year, we find this increase challenging to justify from a value-creation standpoint.
We also want to address the eligibility criteria. While equal distribution aims to promote fairness, it creates vulnerabilities we’ve observed in past airdrops - users creating multiple wallets to maximize rewards (as AFFKKT noted, we can see this happened also in the ZoopX vote earlier this year). Additionally, historical data shows significant portions of airdrop tokens remain unclaimed, which represents an inefficient use of treasury resources that could be deployed more strategically.
On the point about attracting new community members: we recognize the appeal of this argument, but the eligibility criteria (previous vote participation) means this airdrop would primarily reward existing participants rather than attract new ones. Looking ahead, designing incentives around one-time token distributions risks attracting airdrop hunters rather than long-term contributors who genuinely care about DIA’s governance and direction.
Regarding Hypolithe’s suggestion to include Lasernet staking criteria: while we appreciate the intent to recognize deeper onchain commitment, stakers are already earning competitive APY (currently ~14.68%). Adding additional airdrop incentives on top of existing staking rewards could create an unnecessarily redundant reward structure. Network security and participation are already being incentivized through the staking mechanism itself.
From our perspective, treasury resources create more lasting value when allocated toward network security through staking incentives, developer grants that expand the ecosystem, and strategic initiatives that position DIA for sustainable growth. These approaches reward long-term alignment and active participation rather than one-time engagement.
We appreciate @alexism’s forward-looking perspective on potential future community rewards that combine staking commitment with governance participation. While we’re not committing to any specific timeline or structure at this stage, we recognize the value in allowing DIA’s staking ecosystem to mature organically throughout 2026 before considering alternative reward mechanisms. The community may well propose refined approaches in the future that better align incentives with long-term contribution.
That said, we deeply respect the community’s right to propose alternatives and make these decisions collectively. All proposals that meet governance guidelines will be included in the Snapshot vote starting Friday, December 5th. The DAO will ultimately decide, and whatever outcome the community chooses, we’ll support the process and respect the result.
We encourage everyone to participate in the vote and make their voice heard.
Best regards,
Anze, Community & DAO Lead at DIA