Subject: Finding a Path Forward
Recently, both Aave and Morpho submitted pre-PIPs to the Polygon community proposing the staking of Polygon PoS bridge assets. These kinds of proposals are exactly what governance is about—open conversations, healthy debate, and pushing the ecosystem forward. While neither pre-PIP gained community consensus, the healthy debate and innovation put forward foretell a bright future for the Polygon ecosystem and Polygon governance.
What’s particularly troubling, however, is one particular individual’s threatening response to the pre-PIP: Marc Zeller proposes on this forum to dismantle Aave’s deployment on Polygon PoS—framing it as an effort to “protect users.” In reality, this move feels more like an attack on Polygon for not supporting the pre-PIP that Marc’s company submitted on the same topic than a genuine concern for user safety. A concern for user safety would have been reflected in a post voicing concern over user safety on the Polygon forum, and if the pre-PIP had become a PIP, then strong opposition to the PIP with a warning of the action that may need to be taken on its end and preparation to take that action. I recently very openly tweeted about the inappropriateness of this behavior exercised on multiple occasions: x.com.
The proposed solution to disrupt Aave’s deployment, which has no potential risk in any way to Aave users on Polygon PoS for months (and likely forever given the community feedback), was not an action to protect the very users claimed to be protected. Instead, it threatens to destabilize a thriving DeFi ecosystem and undermines Aave’s reputation as a protocol that champions its community.
When one protocol thrives, the entire ecosystem benefits. But dismantling Aave’s presence on Polygon PoS doesn’t just hurt Polygon—it hurts Aave itself, its users, and DeFi as a whole. This feels like a reactionary move that sacrifices collaboration for control, which is disappointing from a protocol as respected and influential as Aave. Aave has always set the standard for leadership and innovation, and I know that the Aave DAO doesn’t want to be remembered for stifling competition or creating division. The backbone of Aave, as with all protocols, is its community, including users. It is what has made Aave strong for a long time along with its continued product development. There are things that need to be improved on the product side and Aave v4 seems like it’ll bring them to life. The focus should be there while retaining and growing the strong user base it currently has across DeFi.
We respect the Aave DAO and deeply appreciate the collaboration we’ve had over the years. We remain committed to supporting Aave and ensuring DeFi remains open, decentralized, and competitive—because that’s what benefits everyone. But we also need to stand strong in the face of attacks on our community. I’d suggest we find common ground next time so that a collaborative discussion can start.
We urge the Aave DAO to reject this proposal and instead continue to foster constructive collaboration that strengthens DeFi for all.
Let’s work toward a solution that upholds values of decentralization, innovation, and putting users first, showing the community the voice it deserves to have in this collaboration.
Sincerely, Marc Boiron, Polygon Labs CEO
P.S. On a personal note, as a long time decently large AAVE holder, I want to see Aave execute in an open, transparent and competitive way without relying on tactics like those exhibited in the last day by some representatives. There are a lot of smart people at Avara and elsewhere in the Aave ecosystem who can still drive massive success with just strong products and GTM.
