tldr;

• As the final phase of decentralization, 0x Protocol will transition to a fully on-chain governance mechanism, with the future of the Protocol entirely in the hands of its community.

• 0x Labs will now become one stakeholder among many in 0x Protocol Governance with the Protocol also moving to its own dedicated website, communication channels, and applications.

• We invite and encourage your participation and support to help the 0x Protocol continue to realize its vision

Today we’re incredibly excited to share some updates on the unbundling efforts that were shared earlier this year via the 0x Protocol Governance forum, building upon the progress we’ve made over the past few years…

It all started with the 0x Protocol whitepaper in 2017, and since then, 0x Labs has served as the Protocol’s primary developer and steward. We’re proud of what we have accomplished during this time, including:

• Developing 0x Protocol into a secure and trusted global infrastructure that facilitates the exchange of tokenized value with four major versions released;

• Building tools to make it easier to use the Protocol such as 0x Instant, 0x Launch Kit, 0x Starter project, and 0x API;

• Running programs to grow the 0x Protocol ecosystem, such as the 0x Market Maker Program and Ecosystem Acceleration Program.

Along the way, we’ve also left our mark on the broader Ethereum ecosystem by open sourcing early Solidity tooling, introducing EIP-712, contributing to ERC-721, and even helping coin the term “DeFi”.

From the beginning, our goal for 0x Protocol has always been creating a self-governing, decentralized protocol run by ZRX token holders, where 0x Labs would be one stakeholder among many. To support the development of the community around 0x Protocol, we launched the protocol-owned treasury and the Bootstrap Delegates program in 2021. Our latest governance roadmap proposes a formal grants program, voter program, and security council to provide an even stronger foundation for the 0x Protocol community.

This year, management of the 0x Protocol will transition over to the community to enable it to flourish even more. While we will continue to be active contributors, we’re excited to see the community take the driver’s seat!

Here’s what you can expect in practice:

0x Protocol will continue to be an open-sourced public good. Additionally, 0x Protocol will have its own dedicated website, communication channels, and revamped governance portal that will serve as the source of truth for all things related to the protocol. We will announce the new URLs and channels in the coming weeks.

0x Labs will continue to develop and offer its own products, but these will be proprietary, may or may not be open-sourced, and will be left to the discretion of the 0x Labs team.

We want to make it clear that 0x Labs is not disappearing. We will remain active in the 0x Protocol ecosystem just as we've been – proposing new protocol updates, engaging in discussions, and sharing our thoughts on the future direction of the Protocol.

Join us to shape the future of 0x Protocol

As the Protocol enters its final phase of decentralization, this is the community's moment to continue to rise up to contribute and help shape the future of the Protocol. We believe that together, we can make the 0x Protocol the unstoppable standard for the global exchange of tokenized value – join us in making this vision a reality.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be unveiling new updates for both 0x Protocol and 0x Labs. Stay tuned here on the blog, as well as on the governance forum. Don’t hesitate to reach out on Discord if you have any questions or ideas.

Let’s keep building together 🫱‍🫲

-Will, Amir and the team at 0x Labs