---
type: decision
entity_type: decision_market
name: "MetaDAO: Hire Advaith Sekharan as Founding Engineer?"
domain: internet-finance
status: passed
parent_entity: "[[metadao]]"
platform: "futardio"
proposer: "Nallok, Proph3t"
proposal_url: "https://www.futard.io/proposal/B82Dw1W6cfngH7BRukAyKXvXzP4T2cDsxwKYfxCftoC2"
proposal_date: 2024-10-22
resolution_date: 2024-10-26
category: "hiring"
summary: "Hire Advaith Sekharan as founding engineer with $180K salary and 237 META tokens (1% supply) vesting to $5B market cap"
tracked_by: rio
created: 2026-03-11
---

# MetaDAO: Hire Advaith Sekharan as Founding Engineer?

## Summary
Proposal to hire Advaith Sekharan as MetaDAO's founding engineer with $180,000 annual salary and 237 META tokens (1% of supply excluding DAO holdings). Compensation mirrors co-founder structure with performance-based vesting tied to market cap milestones, 4-year cliff starting November 2028, and 8-month clawback period. Retroactive salary begins October 16, 2024.

## Market Data
- **Outcome:** Passed
- **Proposer:** Nallok, Proph3t
- **Proposal Account:** B82Dw1W6cfngH7BRukAyKXvXzP4T2cDsxwKYfxCftoC2
- **Proposal Number:** 7
- **Completed:** 2024-10-26

## Compensation Structure
- **Cash:** $180,000/year (retroactive to October 16, 2024)
- **Tokens:** 237 META (1% of 23,705.7 supply including co-founder allocations)
- **Vesting Start:** November 2024
- **Unlock Schedule:** Linear from $500M market cap (10% unlock) to $5B market cap (100% unlock)
- **Cliff:** No tokens unlock before November 2028 regardless of milestones
- **Clawback:** DAO can reclaim all tokens until July 2025 (8 months)
- **Market Cap Basis:** $1B = $42,198 per META

## Significance
This hiring decision demonstrates MetaDAO's execution on its San Francisco core team buildout strategy from Fundraise #2. The compensation structure is notable for mirroring co-founder terms rather than standard employee equity, signaling founding-level commitment expectations. The 4-year cliff with market-cap-based unlocks creates extreme long-term alignment but also substantial risk for the hire.

## Relationship to KB
- [[metadao]] — hiring decision for core team
- [[advaith-sekharan]] — hired individual
- [[metadao-fundraise-2]] — strategic context for hiring
- [[performance-unlocked-team-tokens-with-price-multiple-triggers-and-twap-settlement-create-long-term-alignment-without-initial-dilution]] — compensation mechanism example