Vitalik Buterin Outlines Four Core Reasons Ethereum Still Needs Stronger DAOs

On January 19, 2026, Ethereum cofounder Vitalik Buterin argued that the network still requires decentralized autonomous organizations but with significantly improved designs. He warned that many current DAOs are captured by large token holders, which weakens governance, and highlighted four key roles for DAOs, including oracles, dispute resolution, shared lists and institutional memory, while proposing ZK proofs and AI tools to enhance privacy and decision-making.