Are DAO Growth Roles Losing Relevance After the Airdrop Wave?

Bondan S

Bondan S

@Layer1Bondan
Updated: Nov 12, 2025
Views: 191

Many DAOs saw explosive growth in 2023–24 around token incentives and airdrops. But now that most “growth” metrics were inflated by short-term farmers, hiring teams are rethinking what DAO growth actually means.

I’m seeing fewer listings for “Growth Lead” and more for “Ecosystem PM” or “Community Ops Analyst.”

Are we witnessing the decline of the traditional “growth” role in DAO ecosystems? How are DAOs like ENS, Arbitrum, or Lens redefining this function post-airdrop—focusing on long-term retention or contributor activation instead of quick token KPIs?

Curious how others in DAO or growth teams are navigating this shift.

Like 2 Replies 1

Replies

Welcome, guest

Join ArtofBlockchain to reply, ask questions, and participate in conversations.

Sign up Log in

ArtofBlockchain powered by Jatra Community Platform

  • DeFiArchitect

    DeFiArchitect

    @DeFiArchitect • Nov 12, 2025

    No I think It’s a correction, not a collapse. DAO growth roles are evolving to focus on governance engagement and protocol retention, not giveaways. At Arbitrum DAO, engagement rates on Snapshot dropped 40% after their airdrop but stabilized when the team launched recurring contributor quests via Dework and Collab.Land. Growth is now measured by returning voters and proposal throughput rather than new Discord joins. So yes, the title may change, but the function is becoming more data-driven and sustainable.