The Launch of ORBS DAO and Reflecting on the Past Year Today marks a pivotal moment for ORBS. After years of preparation, ORBS DAO (OIP-9) is on the verge of official launch. At first glance, this may appear as just another governance proposal. ✔ But I view OIP-9 as one of the most significant turning points in ORBS’s history. Why? Because this proposal represents the first step toward transferring critical authority over the protocol to the community under the banner of a DAO. Governance, Protocol operations, Guardian authentication, Reward distribution. These core functions are now gradually transitioning into a structure centered around token holders, Guardians, and Delegators. And ✔ in the next governance cycle, the community will directly decide on the tokenomics and how protocol revenues are utilized—something many have been eagerly awaiting. I have been an investor in ORBS for a long time and have actively participated as a Guardian, engaging in countless conversations with the team over the past few years. In particular, the last year has been one of the most memorable periods for me personally. During this time, I gathered community feedback and conveyed it repeatedly to the foundation—sometimes with strong, direct language. I publicly voiced concerns about the excessive concentration of decision-making power in individual hands, and consistently raised questions about how protocol revenues—now beginning to materialize—should be shared with the community. I still feel emotional remembering late-night discussions with ORBS CBO Ran and the ORBS Korea team during KBW, exchanging ideas until dawn. Of course, looking back now, I recognize that I too sometimes let emotions take precedence. I made blunt statements, and at times, I came across as overly passionate. Yet what I am deeply grateful for is the attitude of the ORBS team. They did not always agree with me, but they never responded emotionally; instead, they always sought to explain their reasoning, and consistently listened to community voices, striving to persuade through dialogue. Looking back, I made a conscious effort never to forget that I was “just one investor.” I reminded myself that my perspective was not always correct, and I tried my best to view the project holistically. I also worked tirelessly to serve as a bridge of communication between the community and the foundation. In this process, I want to express my deepest gratitude to Ran @thehammer, ORBS’s CBO. ✔ He has always maintained an open and accessible approach to engaging with the community, ✔ and never avoided difficult conversations. I also sincerely thank the ORBS Korea team for quietly but steadfastly serving as a bridge of communication between the foundation and the Korean community. The reason I’ve shared these personal reflections at length is simple: Because this DAO launch holds extraordinary meaning for me. If someone were to ask me, “Isn’t every DAO just the same?” I would firmly respond: “ORBS is different.” The ORBS DAO was not created overnight. Even after the initial direction was announced at KBW, nearly a year passed before its official launch. Throughout that time, the team did not rush. They prioritized building a stronger, more robust product first: Liquidity Hub, Perpetual Hub, dLIMIT, dTWAP, and most recently, Ultra 2.0. They first created a protocol with real usage and revenue-generating mechanics, then focused on sustaining it and expanding the ecosystem— only after that did they prepare for DAO governance. As stated on their official blog, “It was more important to build it right than to build it fast.” They also carefully evaluated legal, tax, and operational structures alongside technical development to lay a solid foundation for the DAO. ✔ I believe this approach is quintessentially ORBS. This DAO launch is not only meaningful—it is also an essential evolution given today’s market environment. First: Regulation. In the United States, regulatory frameworks for digital assets are becoming increasingly defined. ✔ How decentralized a project truly is, ✔ Whether its token possesses real utility, ✔ Whether decision-making occurs through the community rather than a centralized entity— These factors are likely to become critical benchmarks for evaluating projects going forward. DAOs are no longer mere marketing tools—they are becoming essential mechanisms for demonstrating a project’s decentralization and governance structure. Second: Business fundamentals. A DAO is not inherently meaningful just because it exists. ✔ It requires actual users, ✔ A functional product, ✔ And real revenue generation. ORBS is already generating tangible protocol revenue through its Layer 3 execution infrastructure.The integration of multiple DEXs such as QuickSwap and SushiSwap, along with Liquidity Hub and Perpetual Hub Ultra, demonstrates that ORBS is not just another buzzword-driven infrastructure project—it actively supports real Web3 applications and generates tangible value. The next step is now DAO. A structure where the community collectively discusses and decides how to allocate the value and revenue generated by the protocol. I believe this is the grand vision ORBS has been preparing for all along. ORBS is a project that began in 2017. While countless other projects vanished or changed direction, ORBS was among the first to introduce the novel concept of Layer3. And now, we stand at another pivotal milestone: the launch of a DAO. Of course, the launch of a DAO does not instantly transform everything overnight. Rather, this is just the beginning. Strong governance is built by an engaged community. ✔️ Guardians, ✔️ Delegators, ✔️ and Holders—all are vital members. I, too, will continue to speak up and participate—as both a Guardian and an investor—to ensure ORBS grows alongside its community, not controlled by any single individual or group. Today’s DAO launch is not an end—it is the first step toward ORBS becoming a truly community-driven project!! @orbs_network @JapanOrbs @orbs_korea