According to Cointelegraph, venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) believes that principles written almost 500 years ago by Niccolò Machiavelli, author of the controversial political work 'The Prince,' could be the key to solving decentralized governance issues in autonomous organizations. In a blog post, a16z's general counsel and head of decentralization, Miles Jennings, argues that applying Machiavellian principles to decentralized governance in web3 can address current shortcomings. He believes that Machiavelli’s philosophy has a pragmatic understanding of social power struggles, which are similar to those experienced by crypto protocols and their decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs).

Jennings uses Machiavelli's work to discuss how to avoid power centralization in DAOs. He suggests that organizations tend towards autocratic leadership, and therefore, DAOs should limit governance by shifting many decisions to the client or third-party layer. This would significantly lower the governance burden for the protocol. Additionally, Jennings notes that it's critical for DAOs to counterbalance power among leadership classes, leaving emerging leaders exposed to open opposition. He suggests DAOs operate with a bicameral governance layer, similar to the U.S. Congress.

Jennings also argues that using non-token based voting systems, like proof of personhood, does not help DAOs combat autocracy. Instead, DAOs should not only have constant opposition but allow new leaders to force their way into the leadership class by creating a churn, preventing a static power balance. Lastly, Jennings suggests that DAOs adopt lockup mechanisms for holders participating in stakeholder councils to enhance greater accountability throughout their ecosystems. By incentivizing competition, empowering rivals, and utilizing non-token based voting, DAOs can help accelerate progress in web3.