Edited for added clarity:
ACI Alignment Voting Doctrine
At the ACI, our mission is to safeguard the best interests of the Aave Protocol, its users, and the long-term health of the broader DeFi industry.
While we have consistently supported ecosystem diversity, we have observed certain actors whose actions are detrimental to the industry and openly hostile toward the Aave ecosystem. To protect Aave and draw a clear distinction between aligned and non-aligned participants, the ACI is now implementing an Alignment Voting Doctrine.
Under this doctrine, any non-alignment will result in an automatic NAY vote from the ACI at the ARFC stage of proposals. This clear stance signals our position to the broader community and allows third parties to adjust their strategies accordingly.
That said, the ACI reserves the right to vote YAE on a case-by-case basis if circumstances merit it. One current example is synergies in the Base ecosystem; the ACI recognizes the strategic importance of this ecosystem for the Aave DAO and will continue to support and contribute to its success, allowing it to offboard underperforming legacy partners at its own pace.
We expect proposers to make their best effort to disclose any affiliations with potentially non-aligned entities in their proposals to ensure full transparency.
Actors with a history of poor work ethics, service underperformance, lack of care for users and protocol safety, or a history of hostility toward Aave, the DAO, and its service providers will be deemed non-aligned.
Gauntlet is an example of a non-aligned entity based on its history of underperformance and hostility toward the Aave DAO.
This doctrine ensures that Aave stays aligned with partners who prioritize the protocol’s long-term success and the broader DeFi ecosystem.
To ensure fairness, the ACI commits to clearly stating at the TEMP CHECK phase of a proposal whether they consider it affiliated with a non-aligned entity. The ACI will cast an ABSTAIN vote at this stage, allowing the proposer the opportunity to make adjustments before the ARFC stage.
The ACI also recognizes the reality of legacy burdens and will not apply this doctrine retroactively. A commitment to future offboarding of relations with non-aligned actors will be considered alignment.
Lastly, we want to make this clear: this doctrine is not an Aave DAO policy and should not be interpreted as such. It is a policy of the ACI delegate platform. As delegate representatives representing the voices of hundreds of token holders, it is part of our Duty to express our opinions and doctrine clearly with full transparency.
This doctrine does not affect our work, scope, or duty as a service provider for the Aave DAO. The ACI will follow governance decisions with the same degree of diligence, regardless of our votes or intentions to vote. All proposers will be treated on equal terms and benefit from the same quality of service, regardless of their affiliation or alignment.