From DAO to TAO: Finding The Essence of Decentralization

Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs) have been gaining popularity in recent years due to their promise of realizing the decentralized Web 3.0. However, most DAOs rely heavily on token-centric value systems as well as allocate decision-making authority and yield-sharing rights according to the held tokens, which often lead to monopolization of power and rights. To address this issue, this paper contributes to propose a truly democratic organization model, named True Autonomous Organizations and Operations (TAOs), that does not count upon tokens and is guided by principles of contribution-based and on-demand allocation. We first discuss the design of TAOs, including their infrastructures, power structures, and value systems, and then provide a technical roadmap for implementing TAOs in the DeSci context. This research can provide a valuable guidance for the construction and application of TAOs.