---
type: decision
entity_type: decision_market
name: "MetaDAO: Hire Advaith Sekharan as Founding Engineer"
domain: internet-finance
status: passed
parent_entity: "[[metadao]]"
platform: metadao
proposer: "Nallok, Proph3t"
proposal_url: "https://v1.metadao.fi/metadao/trade/B82Dw1W6cfngH7BRukAyKXvXzP4T2cDsxwKYfxCftoC2"
proposal_date: 2024-10-22
resolution_date: 2024-10-26
category: hiring
summary: "Proposal 7 (Autocrat v0.3) — Hire founding engineer. $180K/year + 1% token supply (237 META) on same convex payout terms as co-founders. 4-year cliff to Nov 2028. 8-month clawback."
key_metrics:
  proposal_number: 7
  proposal_account: "B82Dw1W6cfngH7BRukAyKXvXzP4T2cDsxwKYfxCftoC2"
  autocrat_version: "0.3"
  salary: "$180,000/year"
  token_allocation: "237 META (1% of diluted supply)"
tags: [metadao, hiring, founding-engineer, compensation, passed]
tracked_by: rio
created: 2026-03-11
last_updated: 2026-03-24
---

# MetaDAO: Hire Advaith Sekharan as Founding Engineer

## Summary & Connections

**Proposal 7 (Autocrat v0.3) — first engineering hire via futarchy.** $180K/year cash + 1% of diluted token supply (237 META) on the same convex payout terms as the co-founders ([[metadao-compensation-proph3t-nallok]]). 4-year cliff (no unlock before Nov 2028). 8-month clawback. Start date: October 2024.

**Outcome:** Passed (2024-10-26).

**Connections:**
- Follows directly from [[metadao-fundraise-2]] which specified "hire a small team" as the use of funds. This is the first concrete hire from that raise.
- Same convex payout structure as co-founders — 1% allocation vs their 10% each. Linear unlocks from $500M to $5B market cap. This standardizes the compensation mechanism across the team.
- "Build a core team in San Francisco" — MetaDAO competing directly with traditional startups for engineering talent. $180K + 1% equity-equivalent is competitive for a founding engineer role.
- The 8-month clawback (until July 2025) gives the DAO an exit if the hire doesn't work out — performance enforcement through governance, not just compensation design.

---

## Full Proposal Text

### Type
Operations Direct Action

### Author(s)
Nallok, Proph3t

### Overview
As specified in "MetaDAO Fundraise #2," our goal is to build a core team in San Francisco. At this stage, we've found a highly-engaged candidate for the founding engineer role: Advaith Sekharan. We propose extending an offer to Advaith for $180,000 per year cash compensation and 1% of the token supply subject to the same terms as our co-founder allocation.

### Specifications
The terms of its release would be the same as Nallok and Proph3t, except that the vest would begin in November 2024. Specifically:

- **Fixed Token Allocation**: If you exclude DAO holdings, the supply of META is 19,755.7. If you include Nallok and Proph3t's potential allocation, the supply of META is 23,705.7. 1% of that is 237 META. So Advaith's allocation would be 237 META, fixed regardless of future dilution.
- **Linear Unlocks**: 100% would unlock at a $5B market cap, with linear unlocks depending on price. For example, a $500M market cap would release 10% of the allocation or 23.7 META.
- **Unlock Criteria**: Decided at a later date, potentially using a simple moving average (SMA) over a month or an option-based system.
- **Start Date**: November 2024 for the purposes of vesting. October 16th for the purposes of retroactive salary.
- **Vesting Period**: No tokens unlock before November 2028, no matter what milestones are hit. This signals long-term commitment to building the business.
- **Illiquid Vest**: The DAO can claw back all tokens until July 2025 (8 months from start). Thereafter, tokens vest into a smart contract / multisig that can't be accessed by Proph3t or Nallok.
- **Market Cap Definition**: $1B market cap is defined as a price of $42,198 per META. Payouts are based on the value per META, not total market capitalization.

---

## Raw Data

- Proposal account: `B82Dw1W6cfngH7BRukAyKXvXzP4T2cDsxwKYfxCftoC2`
- Proposal number: 7
- DAO account: `CNMZgxYsQpygk8CLN9Su1igwXX2kHtcawaNAGuBPv3G9`
- Proposer: `613BRiXuAEn7vibs2oAYzpGW9fXgjzDNuFMM4wPzLdY`
- Autocrat version: 0.3
- Completed: 2024-10-26

## Relationship to KB
- [[metadao]] — parent entity, first engineering hire
- [[metadao-compensation-proph3t-nallok]] — same convex payout structure
- [[metadao-fundraise-2]] — this hire was funded by that raise
- [[advaith-sekharan]] — hired engineer