Aave Vote Divides DAO Amid Founder’s $10M Token Move

• Aave DAO rejected a plan for transferring trademark and key assets.
• Founder’s $10M token purchase sparked debates on governance ethics.

A $10M token move by Aave founder Stani Kulechov has deepened rifts in the DAO as token holders rejected a proposal to transfer key assets to community control. On December 16, 2025, former Aave Labs CTO Ernesto Boado submitted a proposal to transfer ownership of critical Aave brand assets—including domains, social media accounts, and other intellectual property—from Aave Labs to the Aave DAO. According to Boado’s post on Aave’s governance forum, the proposal aimed to clarify brand ownership and ensure value accrued to the DAO, which bears the economic risks of the protocol.

The debate intensified after Boado and other critics accused the DAO of rushing the proposal through a snapshot vote without sufficient community discussion. Boado stated that the rushed timeline damaged community trust, with critics questioning the fairness of Aave’s governance process.

Founder Stani Kulechov’s actions further fueled criticism surrounding the vote. On December 24, BlockBeats reported that Kulechov purchased $10 million worth of AAVE tokens shortly before the vote. Critics, including DeFi strategist Robert Mullins, alleged that the acquisition was intended to bolster Kulechov’s voting power and influence the vote’s outcome. Mullins argued that this example revealed governance vulnerabilities in token-based decision-making, describing the purchase as a potential governance attack.

Despite the intense discourse, the proposed transfer of assets ultimately failed. On December 26, 2025, DL News reported that the snapshot poll had concluded, with 55.29% voting against the proposal, 3.5% supporting it, and 41.21% abstaining.

This incident reignited debates over decentralization, as critics say Aave’s governance system favors large holders. Data cited by Cointelegraph revealed that the top three voters control over 58% of voting power, raising broader questions about the effectiveness and fairness of token-based governance models in decentralized finance.

As of December 26, 2025, 15:08 UTC, Aave (AAVE) is trading at $153.30, with a 1.05% increase in 24-hour trading volume, according to market data.