Abstract

This proposal restructures the Product Workstream into a lean, transition-oriented model aligning with the DAO’s current revenue realities.

Key changes:

• FBL moves to 3 days/week starting March 2, then 10% time in April and forward. With contingency for extra hours on April, May, and June if needed.
• PTT reduced to 20% time all in FOX.
• Welcoming Discostu into BD focused role
• Total 6-month budget ≈ $98k
• Introduction of a phased transition toward new leadership
• Explicit contingency buffer (time-limited and gated)
• Clear revenue and user growth metrics

This is not a continuation of prior terms. It is a staged reduction designed to:

1. Preserve strategic coherence
2. Codify Product into a transferable system
3. Align burn with runway
4. Transition toward a lighter long-term structure

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Why This Change

Current conditions:

• Revenue: ~$20–50k/month
• Marketing exiting
• Continued runway sensitivity

This renewal reflects a disciplined contraction while protecting execution capacity for the future.

This proposal reduces burn while institutionalizing product judgment and a plan for succession.

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Operating Model Overview

The DAO requires Product capacity for:

• Market & competitor research
• Initiative prioritization
• Business-case-driven proposals
• User feedback loops
• UX refinement where necessary
• Strategic public positioning

However, simply reducing to a generic “part-time PM + hourly designer” model introduces risk:

• Loss of prioritization coherence
• Repeated roadmap resets
• Engineering alignment becomes messier but solvable
• Weaker external positioning

This proposal introduces a three-phase transition

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Phase 1 (First 30 days)

Systemization & Handoff

During this phase, Product operates at 3 days/week.

Primary objective:

Build and document a transferable Product Operating System.

Deliverables:

• Prioritization rubric (I wrote a shipping agreement, we should refine and finally align on it on etc.)
• Formalize initiative driven development where Business case → spec lifecycle (add documentation)
• Market scanning & competitor monitoring template and cadence
• “strategic direction of features” standard for Engineering
• Competitive dashboard artifacts
• Training and onboarding of successor (internal or recruited)

This phase focuses on institutionalizing judgment, not expanding scope.

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Phase 2 (Following 2 Months)

Strategic Oversight & Contingency

• Product Lead shifts to ~10% strategic oversight
• Weekly prioritization sanity checks
• High-leverage strategic input
• Public-facing ecosystem positioning (Spaces, podcasts, expanding our narrative advantage)

If a new Workstream Lead is in place:

• Move to an advisory role paid per initiative review, strategy sprint, or meeting cluster.

If a successor is not ready:

• Transitional involvement extends depending on contingency funds pre-budgeted

This structure:

• Prevents silent scope creep
• Aligns incentives toward rapid transition and protects continuity

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Phase 3 (Final 3 Months)

If Phase 1 deliverables are completed early and leadership confidence is high, Phase 2 may be shortened and this phase unnecessary.

Stabilization, Health Check & Reassessment

After phase 1 & 2, the DAO enters a stabilization period.

During this phase:

• Successor (if appointed) operates the Product function.
  • success is a proposal that passes governance transition responsibilities and deliverables.
• Engineering continues initiative-driven execution
• BD owns measurable pipeline targets
• Marketing execution follows documented cadence

If Phase 2 oversight concluded:

• Optional advisory only if requested by governance
  • Paid per initiative review or strategy sprint

If a successor is not ready:

• Transitional involvement continues until end of proposal.

Revenue & Growth Focus

Primary targets for this term:

• Target 15% QoQ revenue growth (at least one month of about 75K)
• Restore app DAU toward 500
• Grow agent DAU toward 10 WAU and then 100 WAU
• Close one marquee API partner and work with BD to pipeline out the 3-5 in process
• Increase revenue from differentiated features and increase awareness
  • Twitter impressions
  • Podcaast appearances
  • Spaces
  • possibly events

Shipping KPI:

• Initiative velocity (prototype → shipped)
• Qualitative Engineering checks

Every initiative must:

• Have a business case or validated prototype
• Tie to revenue or acquisition
• Have measurable success criteria

Strategic Lens

Product efforts will focus on the same lens:

• Get any asset
• Earn yield on anything
• Discover and manage leverage
• Automate boring workflows with AI
• Treat agents as customers

Revenue-generating actions rule.

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Scope Stewardship During Marketing Transition

With Marketing exiting, Product will temporarily steward:

• Translation squad compensation coordination (look to fireb0mb for a new proposal)
• PR firm contract management
• BD/comarketing oversight, training, and acceleration

AI will reduce overhead where appropriate. However, refinement and judgment remain necessary to avoid low-quality output.

The goal is to leave behind documented processes, templates that are LLM-ready and useable, integrate this accross linear and our chat services, and arrive at stable execution.

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BD & Marketing Alignment

This term will:

• Elevate BD into measurable revenue pipeline ownership
• Align initiative roadmap with BD close cycles
• Stabilize creative execution via on-demand design (existing resource)
• Formalize PR and positioning processes
• Close some API customers
• Use chain launches to drive customer acquistion

Marketing shifts from cost center to revenue amplifier.

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Responsibilities

• Prioritize and adjust roadmap toward revenue and user growth
• Coordinate initiatives & priority with Engineering
• Surface new market opportunities
• Own release polish and outcome accountability
• Lead spec kickoffs and retros
• Facilitate office hours and performance artifacts
• Manage workstream budget and contributor payments
• Support cross-workstream alignment

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What This Model Does Not Include

• No new speculative product lines
• No expansive documentation cycles
• No 5-day/week availability
• No undefined scope expansion
• No permanent reliance on contingency

This is a lean, transition-first structure.

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Risks & Mitigation

Risks:

• Successor readiness timeline
• Revenue growth lag

Mitigation:

• Phased reduction & Time-limited contingency buffer
• Clear measurable targets
• Defined transition window

If revenue does not show sustained improvement by mid-term, the DAO should reassess scope or transition Product into advisory-only capacity.

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Budget

Total 6-month budget: $98445

• Product Lead at 3 days/week during Phase 1, then 10% time moving forward.
• PTT at 20% time all in fox
• Lean contractor use of time-limited contingency funds

Check out the spreadsheet here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1d-N8P2YJq9dLKt38ucSD5jw-hF8-WDGKIyeGDnmjJio/edit?gid=814223319#gid=814223319

First 2 months, with upfront costs

Totals

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FOR

Approve the Product Workstream from March 1 – August 31, 2026.

This proposal reduces burn, institutionalizes product judgment, protects execution continuity, and builds toward a lighter long-term structure aligned with DAO sustainability.

FOR with changes:

Make these specific changes {XYZ}

AGAINST:

No, thank you.