🔍 WHAT’S HAPPENING AT AAVE? PT.2

TLDR - It’s not looking good for $AAVE holders.

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In the past 24 hours:

- The price of $AAVE fell by 10% after a whale wallet dumped roughly $38M of the token, realising a loss of ~$13M in the process.

- The rift between Aave Labs and the Aave DAO has further escalated after an alleged “hostile takeover attempt” by Aave Labs earlier today.


What exactly happened? 🧐

A governance proposal titled “$AAVE Token Alignment – Phase 1 (Ownership)” was pushed to a Snapshot vote. This begins a 3-day governance process where token holders must vote for or against the proposal.

For context, the proposal is pivotal to the future of AAVE as it demands the transfer of all Aave brand assets to a DAO-controlled legal entity with anti-capture protections.

However, Aave DAO claims the proposal was unilaterally pushed into the voting process by Aave Labs. Many community members described this as being premature and against basic procedural expectations. They also highlighted other problems with the move, claiming it was done with malintent.

Specifically, the four major grievances are:

1️⃣ Vote Forced Without Author Consent

Aave Labs escalated the proposal to Snapshot without the author’s approval. The author publicly called it a “hostile takeover” of his own proposal and urged abstention.

2️⃣ Holiday Timing Suppresses Participation

The vote runs Dec 23–26, over Christmas. Many see this as deliberate to reduce informed participation from large holders and professional delegates.

3️⃣ Snapshot Taken Before Broad Awareness

The voting snapshot was captured before official announcements, locking in delegations before most holders could react.

4️⃣ Incomplete Discussion

Labs has refused to answer major concerns before forcing the vote. This includes details around revenue sharing commitments, the Aave Labs cap table, service provider guarantees (i.e., what happens if Labs stops development) and how the asset transfer would practically work.


AAVE LABS RESPONSE 🎙

Aave Labs has refuted all accusations of malintent, claiming the escalation follows the project’s governance rules as written in a document published by the Aave Chan Initiative.


WHAT NOW? 🤔

The governance vote continues.

✔️ If Passed: DAO gains control over brand assets, potentially forcing Labs to negotiate revenue-sharing frameworks and establishing precedent for DeFi governance rights.

❌ If Failed: Current status quo continues with Labs monetizing product layer independently, potentially undermining AAVE token value proposition and decentralisation narrative.

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🚨 Bottom Line: The outcome of the proposal determines whether AAVE captures economic value or just governance theatre. It also sets precedent for DAO ownership of IP and brands. Not to mention, its effect on the long-term credibility of AAVE as an investable asset.

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