RDX Works is hiring a Governance Lead - and this is why.    

When Dan first began looking at scaling blockchain/DLT technology back in 2012, it was to ensure that even at a truly global level of adoption, the network would still keep doing as promised. 

To this day, everyone involved in delivering the Radix Public Network to Xi’an and beyond always stays focused on a similar question: “What will it take to build a DeFi platform that can support the needs of the $400 trillion global financial market”.

When thinking this big, it is essential to remember it is a marathon and not a sprint. 

It’s why the Olympia release of the Radix Public Network was focused on staking and core consensus - to battle test those essential components. It’s why Alexandria has the early-access version of Scrypto and the Radix Engine v2, so we can ensure it has what it needs for developers to get started building the future of DeFi. And it’s why there is a significant amount of work to do before the Babylon release, where an ecosystem of DeFi dApps can be unleashed on the Radix Network. 

However, it’s not enough to just build a world-leading technology stack that will become the home for DeFi. It’s definitely necessary, but alone it is not sufficient. That’s why there are increasing efforts on ensuring other areas we believe are critical for the long-term success of the Radix DeFi ecosystem are getting the attention they deserve. One of those areas is network governance. 

Why is network governance so critical? 

Imagine a future where we see the entirety of the $400 trillion global financial system running on the Radix Public Network. In this world, what is decided by network governance, and perhaps more importantly how things are decided, could affect millions of stakeholders and businesses. In this world, network governance needs to address a wide range of stakeholders, be robust and resistant to manipulation, and it must work for its intended purpose. 

From the perspective of underpinning the global financial system and its billions of users, current governance models within the crypto-space may need some more refinement before being fit for purpose.

That is why today, RDX Works is ramping up the work on researching and then creating the concepts/proposals for a governance system for the Radix Public Network. We know it has to be just as fit-for-purpose as the Radix technology stack, and to help ensure that, we’re hiring a full-time Governance lead to work with the senior team at RDX Works, and then the wider Radix community, to refine some of the initial thinking. 

Just as RDX Works has been measured, methodical, and intentional about the research and implementation that goes into getting the technical side of the Radix network ready to scale to a truly global level, we intend to do the same for network governance. That means it will take time. 

When designing and implementing a system that could impact trillions of dollars and billions of people, it is, in our humble opinion, one of those things that deserves, and needs, that time to get right. That’s why we aren’t targeting getting the first proposal for network governance until at least a full quarter after the Babylon release. At that stage, through a lot of work, consultation, and further understanding of the gravity of the opportunity and challenge, we should be in a place to start getting the Alpha prototype for network governance ready - in a way that provides some structure for the growing number of participants in the Radix ecosystem to engage with.

If you have read this blog and started thinking about the opportunity and challenges faced when designing network governance at this scale, make sure to check out the Governance Lead role at RDX Works here: https://www.radixdlt.com/careers/governance-lead