---
type: decision
entity_type: decision_market
name: "MetaDAO: Hire Robin Hanson as Advisor"
domain: internet-finance
status: passed
tracked_by: rio
created: 2026-03-11
last_updated: 2026-03-11
parent_entity: "[[metadao]]"
platform: "futardio"
proposer: "Proph3t"
proposal_url: "https://v1.metadao.fi/metadao/trade/AnCu4QFDmoGpebfAM8Aa7kViouAk1JW6LJCJJer6ELBF"
proposal_date: 2025-02-10
resolution_date: 2025-02-13
category: hiring
summary: "Hire Robin Hanson (inventor of futarchy) as advisor — 0.1% supply (20.9 META) vested over 2 years for mechanism design and strategy"
tags: ["futarchy", "robin-hanson", "advisory", "mechanism-design"]
source_archive: "inbox/archive/2025-02-10-futardio-proposal-should-metadao-hire-robin-hanson-as-an-advisor.md"
---

# MetaDAO: Hire Robin Hanson as Advisor

## Summary
Proposal to hire Robin Hanson — the economist who originally proposed futarchy in 2000 — as an advisor. Scope: mechanism design and strategy advice, co-authoring blog posts and whitepapers on new futarchic mechanisms (specifically mentioning a "shared liquidity AMM" design). Compensation: 0.1% of supply (20.9 META) vested over 2 years. Early termination allowed by Robin, MetaDAO, or Proph3t and Kollan unanimously.

## Market Data
- **Outcome:** Passed (2025-02-13)
- **Autocrat version:** 0.3
- **Key participants:** Proph3t (proposer), Robin Hanson (advisor)

## Significance
The futarchy mechanism's inventor becoming an advisor to its most advanced implementation creates a theory-practice feedback loop. Hanson's insights have already influenced concrete product design — the proposal mentions a "shared liquidity AMM" where META/USDC liquidity can be used in both pMETA/pUSDC and fMETA/fUSDC conditional markets, addressing a key capital inefficiency problem.

The compensation terms (0.1% of supply) are modest relative to founder allocations (10% each for Proph3t and Nallok), appropriate for an advisory role. The 2-year vest with early termination clause is standard advisory structure — another example of futarchy-governed DAOs adopting traditional corporate governance patterns for operational decisions.

This is also the first time a major academic figure (GMU economics professor, >10,000 citations) has been hired through futarchic governance, lending institutional credibility to the mechanism.

## Relationship to KB
- [[metadao]] — advisory hire
- [[shared-liquidity-amms-could-solve-futarchy-capital-inefficiency-by-routing-base-pair-deposits-into-all-derived-conditional-token-markets]] — Hanson-Proph3t collaboration product
- [[futarchy implementations must simplify theoretical mechanisms for production adoption because original designs include impractical elements that academics tolerate but users reject]] — Hanson bridges theory and implementation
- [[futarchy-governed DAOs converge on traditional corporate governance scaffolding for treasury operations because market mechanisms alone cannot provide operational security and legal compliance]] — standard advisory terms within futarchy governance

---

Relevant Entities:
- [[metadao]] — parent organization
- [[proph3t]] — proposer

Topics:
- [[internet finance and decision markets]]

## Full Proposal Text

*Source: futard.io, tabled 2025-02-10*

## **Hire Robin Hanson as Advisor?**

#### **Type**

**Operations \- Direct Action**

#### **Author(s)**

**Proph3t**

**Overview**

Robin Hanson's help has been integral thus far. Specifically, his insights on futarchy mechanism design have helped us design a more compelling and capital-efficient product.

We would like to extend an offer for him to become an advisor to MetaDAO.

**Scope of Work**

The scope of work would primarily be mechanism design and strategy advice.

We would also likely want to co-author blog posts / whitepapers that explain new futarchic mechanisms. For example, we've been thinking about a new 'shared liquidity AMM' design where people provide META/USDC liquidity and it can be used in pMETA/pUSDC and fMETA/fUSDC markets, which we'll want to write something about.

**Compensation**

We propose to pay Robin 0.1% of the supply (20.9 META) vested over 2 years.

**Early termination**

Either Robin, MetaDAO, or Proph3t and Kollan in unanimous agreement would be able to cancel this agreement, at which point any unvested tokens (minus the amount for the current month) would be forfeited.
