Notes from EngineerDAO Meeting on 02-07-22 in Discord

By @garricn#6778

• We discussed potentially asking ourselves the question “why are we building this?” And then asking “why?” to that answer, then “why?” again and repeating until we get to our base/fundamental reason for building. What higher values/ideals are we trying to create/promote. I mentioned Freedom, Independence, and Soverignty.
  • Action Item: Create a task for writing 100 words on this topic.
• We discussed the idea of earning interest on the claimer’s deposit via a staking mechanism.
  • Action Item: Create a task for researching this specific monetization strategy.
• We discussed a little bit about what alternatives to our task list platform solution exist.
  • Action Item: Create a task for researching this area. How are they the same, different.
• We discussed doing thorough testing on testnet before deploying to mainnet given the challenges associated with redeploying contracts
  • Action Item: Create a task for researching negative impacts of redeploying a contract and solutions for overcoming.
• We discussed deploying our contract using a side chain like polygon causes its cheaper.
  • https://polygon.technology
  • Action Item: Create a task to research our options. At least 3 with pros and cons with your recommendation.
• We discussed that, currently, new tasks are added via Github, but that we can try dogfooding our platform by migrating tasks and or creating all new tasks to it.
  • Action Item: Create a task for analyzing whether we should/should not be our own client (dogfood) by creating all new internal tasks on our platform.
• We discussed a future where we expose a public API for DAOs to post their tasks
  • DAO tasks are hidden within DAOs
  • Our platform will help surface up those tasks
  • Action Item: Create a task for SPIKEing this public API
• We discussed Reis taking one of his existing contracts and becoming our first client.
  • Reis can post tasks related to his contract on the platform (task creation)
  • Reis can perform code review (acceptance)
  • This will allow him to scale his business while the platform can beta test in a low risk environment
  • “Reis is our first client; Engineer DAO is the agency; the DAO’s first product is the task list; the task list allows anyone to be their own agent; while the DAO continues to be an agency that builds other products; the task list can maintain itself through itself with last resort provided by DAO”
  • Action Item: Create a task to follow up with Reis about this
• We discussed using a token for the DAO for tokenomics, governance, rewards/equity/compensation, voting etc.
  • We discussed alternatives like AirDrops, multi-sig wallet as shared treasury with quarterly dividends based on ownership percentages
  • We discussed using objective performance metrics as an input for compensation
  • We discussed how reputation is not needed because completion of tasks by wallet addresses is reputation enough
  • Action Item: Create a task to propose 3 solutions with pros and cons for DAO rewards/equity/compensation with your recommendation.
• We discussed how Dispute Resolution mechanisms are important but that we can implement solutions to lower the need for it.
  • Buy-in and Dispute Resolution do not solve everything. They are opposite extremes from each other on a linear scale. What’s in between? Unit Tests? PR Review? What else?
  • We discussed how if Reis is our first client then we build, test, and iterate in a low risk environment and that we don’t need to solve everything right now.
  • We discussed Automated versus manual acceptance criteria.
  • We discussed the following idea: If it might be true that any human input adds to the overall transaction cost, then acceptance criteria might be biased towards code and automation.
  • Action Item: Create a task to brainstorm solutions along the Buy-in<->Dispute Resolution scale that can limit the need for Dispute Resolution.
• We discussed using testnet as a way to deploy internal tasks (internal dogfooding)
  • Action Item: Create a task to determine if its possible/useful for us to use testnet for internal dogfooding
• We discussed how conversations always come up in channels that go something like this:
  • “What do ya’ll think about this?”
  • “We don’t know, but we need to get that answered.”
  • And that we should also then say “I will create a task” or “Please create a task” or what the possibility of having a Discord integration like a “Create Task” button that takes the conversation and creates a task that looks something like this:
    • Title: Discord chat task review
    • Summary: Create a new task based on the Discord conversation attached.
    • Description: [The conversation]
    • Output: A new task that ensures the requirements and acceptance criteria based on the conversation are clear.
  • The output of that task is another task. The actual task of answering the question.
  • Action Item: Create a task to determine if we need this and if its possible. Evaluate alternatives. Propose a solution.
• We discussed Brain Trust
  • https://www.usebraintrust.com
  • They incentivize employers by paying them in tokens.
  • Maybe we can learn from them because like them, we are a double-sided marketplace.
  • Action Item: Create a task to research BrainTrust and how we might learn from them
• We discussed how “platform native compensation” could happen through completing tasks on our platform
  • Reis brought this up. I think Reis was referring to DAO compensation.
• We discussed thinking more about what kind of world we want to live in, what kind of system do we want to interact with.
  • TaskList can extend to every industry
  • When where do I want to work? How much do I want to make?
  • No switching penalties, frontend to backend to SOL to vacation
  • Who am I to the company? What should a company know about me? What do they need to know?
• We discussed Taxes
  • We discussed how the platform could be one of the foundational tools upon which Web 3 can disrupt the control of taxes over the mechanics of labor.
  • We discussed the question of potential tax issues internal to the DAO
    • Lets keep it simple, lets keep it legal, but if we can work in the off-white (more-white-than-gray) lets do it.
  • Action Item: Create a task to reach out to Kevin Owocki (founder of GitCoin)
    • Schedule a time for him to speak with Reis or even the whole group.
  • Action Item: Create a task to research potential tax issues internal to the DAO.
    • What are other DAOs doing?
    • What about GitCoin?
    • What about other VC funded companies like GitCoin?
    • Do we need a tax person?