Interviews with OIG Candidates

1) What is the purpose of the OIG, and why is that important?

The OIG is an entity whose main purpose (among others) is to hold WAX guilds accountable, and make sure they are providing enough value and service to the WAX blockchain in return for the incentives that they receive.

I actually made a video about this entire topic a few days ago, if you'd like a more detailed breakdown of what the OIG is and what they do:

2) Do you see any actionable ways to improve the WAX Governance?

A few ideas come to mind - I touch on a couple of them in question #4 of this... questionnaire?

However, most of the ideas that I've thought of have something in common - they only result in a fair outcome if votes are distributed far and wide, by people who actually know what they are voting for.

I think one of the main issues with WAX governance is not nearly enough people have any clue whatsoever about the following:

• You can vote
• How to vote
• Why to vote
• What you are voting for

Most people just look up "how to stake WAX", go into the Cloud Wallet or the block explorer, get confused by the fact that there are 873 different guilds/proxies etc, and then think "Oh I can just click 1 proxy and earn rewards? Cool!". This results in a small group of proxies getting all the votes of the "little guy" because they don't know any better. Then it's up to the proxy to vote for the proper guilds.

I think that step 1 for improving governance is to spread awareness about the fact that it exists, why it exists, and why it's very important to choose wisely.

I would be more than happy to create content on this topic (whether on my YouTube channel or elsewhere) and educate people about governance.

Personally I don't think that much can be done to improve governance unless more people are educated about it - otherwise it will always just be the same whales voting on things, and all the "little guys" will keep proxying their votes to 1 or 2 proxies because they have no clue what's even taking place when they proxy.

3) What do you see as the main job for WAX Guilds?

Well, without guilds (block producers), the chain doesn't run. So clearly their "main" job is to process transactions and keep the chain dependable.

However, the job really entails much more than that. Since the guilds are compensated for their service using newly printed tokens (inflation), it's important that they drive even MORE value back to the blockchain to counterbalance that inflation.

Simply processing blocks is not enough. Otherwise, the growth of the chain (in terms of value prop) remains stagnant, while the growth of the token supply continues to increase. And while this is taking place, the massive amount of data on the blockchain continues to increase - causing the equipment costs to increase for block producers - further contributing to the unsustainability of the network. This is a recipe for disaster, which is where the guild rating guidelines come into play.

This is the entire reason that the OIG exists. How do we measure this value that guilds are providing? Without the OIG it wouldn't be possible, or at least it would look a lot different.

Aside from simply processing blocks, guilds are currently required and/or incentivized to provide multiple different value props - including but not limited to:

• Providing public access to state history nodes (full copy of current state of the blockchain, at any previous point in time (not just the CURRENT state right now))

• Providing tools/explorers/markets/etc (example https://atomichub.io, https://waxmarketcap.com, https://eosauthority.com, https://wax.bountyblok.io)

• Public access to API nodes, so that dApps/developers can query data from the chain in order to display relevant info to users

• Marketing/engagement, i.e. interacting with community members, onboarding new companies/developers to the WAX blockchain

• Maintaining a certain amount of uptime for their infrastructure (required uptime depends on the product, but ultimately this is usually close to 99% uptime)

4) Do you identify any challenges with creating a guideline for how to rate guilds that add value to the ecosystem in different ways, and if so, do you have any suggestions for improving that?

As with anything, there are always some challenges. Some of the criteria for rating guilds is a bit subjective, especially in terms of community engagement etc. On top of that, when the guidelines are created and reviewed by humans, things are always open to human error - or even bias, etc.

For these reasons, it's important that the criteria for guild ratings remains as objective (measurable) as possible. Anything that can not be weighed on a scale (figuratively speaking) should be heavily scrutinized, if not removed from the guildelines completely.

However, it is also important that guilds are incentivized to go above and beyond in their efforts - and that means putting in effort towards an outcome that can't always be directly measured on a scale.

You can see how this creates a very difficult balance, between keeping things completely objective and keeping guilds incentivized to grow the network.

Just spitballing here, but maybe we could consider some type of system where WAX token holders are able to vote on the more subjective criteria like community engagement... or maybe the same result could be achieved by placing a bit more weight on how many votes each guild receives?

5) Do you understand that if elected, being an elected representative for the OIG is close to a Full Time position, and in some weeks, more than that?

Yes, I understand that 100%. I am currently a freelance developer (for WAX projects) and work on my own WAX projects in my spare time. If elected as an Inspector General, no more freelance needed - I would now have a full time "freelance" position at OIG, if you prefer to look at it that way.

I live and breathe WAX blockchain 24/7. Committing my time to it is something that I am already doing anyway, the only difference now would be that my focus would be OIG, rather than freelancing.

6) Why should token holders vote for you, instead of another candidate?

For a more detailed breakdown of this, I would suggest checking out the following resources:

• My OIG candidacy speech - https://oig.wax.io/candidates/mikedcrypto5

• My "OIG Explained" video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-DdsYZs-fk

But to summarize:

• I have extensive experience with WAX smart contracts, and have created them for many other WAX projects (I even have a 9 part / 3 hour WAX programming tutorial series on YouTube)

• Front end development experience (React JS)

• I live and breathe WAX 24/7 and understand pretty much all of its dynamics

• I have demonstrated competence, drive, passion, perseverance and commitment to this space since I started building here

• I have gone through the WaxLabs grant process (I also made a tutorial video about it here: https://youtu.be/Amtzd6b1k-I ), so I understand how it works, why it exists, the role that the OIG plays in it, and why it’s important that an IG (Inspector General) has the vision to make proper judgements about what proposals add value to the chain, and which ones don’t.

• I am the creator of waxdao.io, which has thousands of users - which not only means that I have already proven the ability to add value to the space - but also means that I am deeply involved in the WAX community, and constantly receiving feedback and suggestions from them. I know what they need and want, either because I have already created it - or because they are telling me directly.

• I have demonstrated having vision, and ability to execute on that vision, repeatedly. I have also demonstrated resourcefulness, as I built WaxDAO from scratch, by myself with no money. I think it's important for an IG to have vision, and adaptability. Because of this, it was actually very difficult to give you direct answers to some of the questions in this questionnaire.

Telling you what I'm going to do about some very particular scenario is great and all... but the thing is, being an IG is an 18 month term.

I could tell you that I'm going to increase the minimum points to 118 from 115, or raise the required uptime for history nodes to get 1 point from 70% to 80%, but these are extremely specific edge-case scenarios that need to be addressed maybe 2 or 3 times over 18 months.

There are tens of thousands of other decisions that will need to be made over an 18 month period. Many of these decisions will arise from things that do not even exist yet, so none of our brains can even fathom what these decisions might be.

Therefore, the real qualities that we must look for in a candidate, in my opinion are:

• When this person is in office, are they competent enough to identify any issues that arise?

• If they are competent enough, then are they driven enough and skilled enough to solve these issues?

• If they have the skills and drive to solve the issues, are they fair and honest enough to solve them in a manner that benefits everyone, and not just themselves?

• If yes to all of the above, are they level-headed and determined enough to keep putting in the work, even when times get extremely stressful (which they inevitably will)?

In my case, I believe I have demonstrated that the answer to all of these questions is YES, but that is completely up to you to decide. If you agree, then you should vote for me. If you think that someone else meets this criteria better than I do, then you should vote for them.

Either way, thank you all for your support.

Please reach out if you have any further questions. You can find me on Telegram or Twitter @MikeD_Crypto

1) What is the purpose of the OIG, and why is that important?

The purpose of the OIG, is twofold. Firstly, it aims to ensure the stability and quality of the chain by ensuring that the infrastructure running it adheres to the demanded performance and availability standards.

Secondly, it aims to incentivize chain improvement by rewarding actions that are good for the chain, such as onboarding new projects and building helpful products.

2) Do you see any actionable ways to improve the WAX Governance?

When it comes to ways to improve the WAX Governance, I think there are many opportunities for improvement.

However, as an outsider, it's important to first "walk the walk" and understand the nuances of the job before suggesting changes.

From my perspective, I had a long call with Rakeden 2 weeks ago to go through a technical evaluation and see his workflow.

I found that there are many manual parts to the job that rely on third-party tools and data. To improve this, some of the first things I would probably want to do, is find ways to reduce human error in these evaluations, as it's an important aspect of the job to ensure the stability and quality of the chain.

3) What do you see as the main job for WAX Guilds?

The main job for WAX Guilds is multi-faceted. They provide the infrastructure that the chain operates on, including block signing, public APIs and history solutions.

They are also encouraged to provide resources and tooling for the space, such as additional APIs and services.

Additionally, they serve as a trusted contact point for new projects entering the space, as they have deep knowledge on how the chain operates and can provide support and guidance.

4) Do you identify any challenges with creating a guideline for how to rate guilds that add value to the ecosystem in different ways, and if so, do you have any suggestions for improving that?

One challenge with creating guidelines for rating guilds that add value to the ecosystem in different ways is the subjective nature of the task.
However, by having three OIGs that must agree on a score, this helps to reduce some of the subjectivity.
Additionally, by quantifying metrics such as usage, revenue, and market share, it can be easier to defend and assign a score to a project.

5) Do you understand that if elected, being an elected representative for the OIG is close to a Full Time position, and in some weeks, more than that?

I understand that serving as an elected representative for the OIG requires a significant time commitment, which is why I have not considered running for the position in the past.
 
However, my schedule has recently opened up with the completion of a major multi-year project on January 1st, and I am now excited to have the opportunity to fully immerse myself in the WAX community and use my skills and experience to make a positive impact in the OIG office.
 
I believe that my qualifications align well with the role and I am eager to contribute to the continued growth and success of the WAX ecosystem.

6) Why should token holders vote for you, instead of another candidate?

1) What is the purpose of the OIG, and why is that important?

The Office of Inspector General acts as a liaison between the WAX Guilds, the WAX Community, and the WAX team.

WAX has become a complex and rapidly growing ecosystem, consisting of numerous products, artists, and unique contributions from everyone involved. As OIG, we strive to ensure that this symbiosis works and is fair, sustainable, and open.

The OIG practically and through the application of decentralization ensures that these values are enabled on WAX. It is important that we continue to work together towards these values, make the right decisions, and commit to them to further advance the most proven gaming blockchain.

The OIG provides the necessary assessments and develops guidelines, taking into account current needs, requirements, and market conditions in the blockchain gaming industry.

Learn more about the OIG's role on WAX: https://waxoig.medium.com/an-introduction-to-the-wax-oig-aab5fd69c294

2) Do you see any actionable ways to improve the WAX Governance?

Besides constantly revisiting and rethinking the parameters WAX Guilds operate on, we never stop questioning our scoring criteria.

My main goal is to contribute towards a solid foundation for successful and enjoyable collaboration between WAX guilds, the community and developers/creators.

The OIG can provide more bonding opportunities between all parties involved and we need to think of good ways to become more inclusive and engaging for builders and our community.

I’ll always promote a transparent, professional and constructive way to to collaborate on a collective effort with everyone adding what they best can!

3) What do you see as the main job for WAX Guilds?

WAX Guilds are Heart and Soul for WAX by dedicating insane amounts of time, sweat and sometimes tears to collectively built a top-notch digital assets and gaming platform.

Everyone of them with their respective mission to add their unique values to a vibrant ecosystem - I am impressed by the quality of products and services we have on WAX when comparing us to competitors and that’s surely part of what Guilds provide on a daily basis!

4) Do you identify any challenges with creating a guideline for how to rate guilds that add value to the ecosystem in different ways, and if so, do you have any suggestions for improving that?

Most certainly the evaluations don’t outline every guilds strength through a single score value.

Product Development is naturally a bit be prone to subjective aspects - Something that we try to improve through on-chain analytics and insights to reported metrics. e.g. Product Discovery Calls with WAX Guild Candidates to discuss initial product scores, milestones and decays is a recently introduced measure by the OIG to mitigate some of the uncertainties.

Going on we want to continue introducing measures and adjustments as we encounter them and always welcome feedback!

5) Do you understand that if elected, being an elected representative for the OIG is close to a Full Time position, and in some weeks, more than that?

Yes. And I fear the day we’re outgrown by the increasing amount of tasks and responsibilities…
Also we should relax deadlines on saturday & sunday, if possible.

6) Why should token holders vote for you, instead of another candidate?

In any way, I’ll be around to advance WAX.
Be it as an IG or a Guild Candidate!

Here’s why: https://medium.com/@rakeden/waxs-unique-approach-to-blockchain-governance-4a6abc2fa235

So, vote for me please. Thank you!

My name is Anders Eskildsen better know as DanishCrypto I been in the crypto space for over 10 years at this point I worked with a bunch of project along the way from btc trustwallet atomic wallet motacoin presearch & more.. but compared to the other candidates I'm not a developer I'm a community builder & entrepreneur and feel like maybe developers are not the best politicians

1) What is the purpose of the OIG, and why is that important?

The purpose for OIG is to make sure that our block producers serves the system right.. Its important since without them the chain wouldn't run

2) Do you see any actionable ways to improve the WAX Governance?

I think that we need to zoom out a little. But yes I have a couple ideas on how to make our governance model stronger and more.

3) What do you see as the main job for WAX Guilds?

Our guilds are mainly BPs so in general keeping our chain strong and stable plus helping building good tools for our ecosystem.

4) Do you identify any challenges with creating a guideline for how to rate guilds that add value to the ecosystem in different ways, and if so, do you have any suggestions for improving that?

It will always be a challenge sure, but I'm ready for a good challenge

5) Do you understand that if elected, being an elected representative for the OIG is close to a Full Time position, and in some weeks, more than that?

Yes I fully understand that this is like a full-time job also one of the reasons I feel like I fit this role pretty well.

6) Why should token holders vote for you, instead of another candidate?

People should consider voting for me if they want someone there is here for the community & ecosystem.