DAO Voting Suspended to Refocus on Growth Jupiter DEX, one of the larger decentralized exchanges (DEX) on Solana, has suspended its decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) governance voting until 2026. On Thursday, COO Kash Dhanda said the move is being made to redirect energies toward product development and push growth. He emphasized that Jupiter is “on the cusp of an inflection point,” and that the chance to shape the future of DeFi “won’t stay open for much longer.” Current DAO mechanics are not working to drive substantive progress, but to fracture and slow down, according to Dhanda. Governance Structure to Be Rethought The current DAO framework, in Dhanda’s opinion, is “stuck in a negative feedback loop.” To disable this, Jupiter will halt all DAO voting and new proposal submission until a more united and viable system is established. Ongoing projects, staking rewards, and working groups that have received funding will not be halted. The community reserve, however, will not be tapped into during the pause. Community development programs will instead be funded from Jupiter’s operations treasury. Reforms Expected in 2026 While no new model of governance has yet been proposed, Dhanda made it clear this is not the end of decentralized governance for Jupiter. DAO voting will resume in 2026, following the construction of a new system through community debate. “This is not a closure to governance, but a pause,” Dhanda said. Part of a Broader DAO Governance Backlash Jupiter’s decision follows a broader trend of criticism for DAO governance models. Earlier this month, Yuga Labs proposed the abolition of the ApeCoin DAO in favor of a centralized successor, ApeCo. Yuga Labs CEO Greg Solano criticized DAO inefficiencies as “sluggish, noisy, and often unserious governance theater.” Both Solano and Dhanda referenced how current governance models can hamper innovation and waste resources on proposals that fail. Jupiter’s migration represents a shift towards pragmatic DeFi governance — one that prioritizes execution while leaving the door open for a more graceful, future DAO.
