Hi, peeps. Not going to engage in the convo/back and forth - The decision to shut down PGN at the end of June is final, barring any unforeseen development issues that could impact users’ ability to retrieve their funds. Fin.
Ensuring the safe return of user funds is our top priority. We are actively exploring all options, including the technical workarounds @sophia mentioned, to ensure everyone can securely retrieve their funds.
I appreciate your honesty and dedication to the users of PGN, @sophia . While I am open to community initiatives, the Foundation created this project and must consider the broader implications of any association with PGN and Gitcoin. We need to ensure that our reputation for responsibility and trust is not compromised by potential adverse outcomes that could arise under different stewardship of the PGN network. Because of this and the emerging discussions, we’ll be proceeding with sunsetting PGN.
The decision to shut down PGN was not made lightly. I recognize there’s been a lot of back and forth—I appreciate the patience and involvement of everyone roped into these discussions.
Despite the vision for PGN to be a community-governed network, actual engagement fell short of what was necessary to establish and maintain a decentralized governance structure. As a result, no formal governance was ever implemented, leaving the Gitcoin Foundation responsible for making tough decisions, including the shutdown. We hoped for a better outcome than this, but it reflects the reality of the situation where active community participation was insufficient to drive the governance process forward.
Continuing operations or passing them on are not tenable for various reasons outlined here and in previous shutdown posts from @enidavis and @kyle here. I value community input, but the absence of viable proposals to maintain and fund the network to move forward shows me that there isn’t grounding in tying Gitcoin’s name to the project. Nonetheless, if the community feels strongly about transparency and decentralization, I encourage you to put forth concrete plans, not just discussions, in this forum. I will say now that my vote on such proposals would be ‘no’.
My perspective aligns with @owocki’s view that PGN was fundamentally an experiment—an opportunity to innovate in how we fund and sustain public goods. While not every project will endure, the insights we gain are invaluable.
I sincerely appreciate the efforts and ethos everyone involved has contributed to PGN. It was launched with a vision to support public goods through innovative solutions. The dedication and work that @enidavis , you - @sophia , @lebraat , and @kyle put in were commendable for such a small team.
I encourage those that want to talk (and not pitchfork on CT) to reach out to me. My door is always open for a chat, to discuss any concerns or ideas you may have.