Yuga Labs seeks to kill the ApeCoin DAO and launch ApeCo

Yuga Labs CEO Greg Solano posted an ape improvement proposal (AIP) calling for the closure of the ApeCoin DAO and the launch of ApeCo, a new operating model for ApeCoin. Solano said it was time for a leaner, faster “org” to take the reins.

Solano stated that the ApeCoin DAO was born in a different era and may have just run its course. He added that the DAO started with promise but quickly spiraled into gridlock, governance theater, vanity proposals, and low-impact noise. Too many resources went to vanity proposals and low-impact initiatives.

According to Yuga Labs boss, the DAO had become misaligned with the future his company aimed to build, although it was instrumental in bootstrapping ApeCoin’s early momentum. He claimed that the next chapter demanded sharper focus, faster execution, and an operating model that backed only the highest-caliber projects.

Solano says the AIP clears the ‘cruft’ and installs a professional operation

Since returning as CEO, everything I've worked on has aimed at one thing: getting back to the spirit and velocity of year one, when @gordongoner and I were building Yuga from scratch.

We've made huge progress. But the biggest unlock would be in getting ApeCoin rowing in the…

— Garga.eth (Greg Solano) (@CryptoGarga) June 5, 2025

Solano claimed that the proposal cleared the cruft and installed a professional operation to direct capital with conviction and strategic intent. Yuga Labs’ co-founder Wylie Aronow said he had no words for how annoyed he was with his partner Greg for making him google the word ‘cruft’ on a Sunday but added that he supported the “f**k out of this idea.”

Solano explained that the AIP authorized the orderly transition of assets and responsibilities to the new ApeCo entity established by Yuga Labs. ApeCo’s mission was to supercharge the APE ecosystem by supporting high-quality builders and reinforcing three core pillars: ApeChain, Bored Ape Yacht Club, and Otherside.

According to the Yuga Labs CEO, the redeeming aspect of the DAO was that it funded builders. He pointed out that Yuga still believed in that mission, but the bar on what was worth funding was going way up. The new model must focus on quality, impact, and alignment with the core of what ApeCoin was meant to power.

“The DAO served its purpose, but the game has changed…We’re no longer in the experimental phase. We’re building the best chain in crypto and expanding the most iconic brand in NFTs. ApeCoin should be the economic engine for that future.”

– Greg Solano, CEO at Yuga Labs

Yuga Labs’s Solano also said everything he had worked on since returning as CEO aimed at one thing: getting back to the spirit and velocity of year one when he and Aronow were building Yuga from scratch. He added that the duo had made huge progress, but the biggest unlock would be getting ApeCoin rowing in the right direction.

Makash believes sunsetting the DAO for ApeCo is wise

Mak Makash, the founder of the Raccoon Gin Ape project and the main initiator of AiP 495, said he had been building with ApeCoin and ApeChain from the trenches–from IRL integrations to premium products that bridged Web2 and Web3. He added that sunsetting the DAO in favor of ApeCo was not the end but the maturation of what the Ape community dreamed ApeCoin could become.

Makash believes this AIP was the long-overdue evolution the ecosystem needed, adding that it brought clarity, speed, and quality over chaos. He also said the ApeChain, BAYC, and Otherside Trinity deserved complete focus since builders would finally have a structure that supported innovation at pace, with accountability and purpose. Makash claimed that he fully supported this shift and was ready to start building under ApeCo.

Solano stressed that the transition would unleash faster product development and capital deployment, eliminate governance gridlock that held real builders back, and reignite belief in the long-term utility and cultural significance of ApeCoin. He also said it would make ApeChain the most culturally relevant chain in crypto.

The Yuga Labs CEO disclosed that killing the ApeCoin DAO enabled experimentation at the cost of quality and encouraged governance participation but became easy to game. He also said it funded some good builders but many bad ones, and it was never optimized for long-term product development or market agility.

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