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Dash Core Group Q1 2018 Summary Call - 4 May 2018

kot

kot

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Masternode Owner/Operator
Dear Community embers,

This is to inform about the Dash Core Group Inc. quarterly call to present project progress made during Q1 2018, summarise Core Team activities and answer your questions.

The call will take place on Friday, 4th of May at 14:00 UTC and will be streamed live on Youtube and also recorded and shared on the Dash Youtube channel.

The link to the Youtube stream:

Please prepare and submit your questions here in this thread. I would suggest to send one question per user, as there will be limited time for answers.

Thank you

UPDATE: Slide deck from the call is available here: https://dashpay.atlassian.net/wiki/...sh-Core-Group-Q1-2018-Summary-Call.pdf?api=v2
 
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Dash's CMO, Fernando, has never formally studied marketing - he is a lawyer and an economist. Fernando went to school for 6 years to study Law, not Marketing. He then studied 3 years of Economics, not Marketing. He also is not involved in the any of the major marketing decisions surrounding the budget, and instead choses to give his opinion only on low value, low impact proposals.

Question 1:
Wouldn't Dash be better off by hiring a CMO with academic and professional experience exclusively in Marketing, and let Fernando handle other areas of the business?

I am not doubting he has contributed greatly to Dash. I am not doubting he might be an excellent lawyer or an excellent economist. But should he be in Marketing at all? It is my opinion that Dash should hire someone extremely qualified as a Chief Marketing Officer. Someone who has studied marketing for years, with professional experience in Marketing, not promote someone out of a feeling of gratitude, which seems to be the case. Imagine Dash hired a Chief Legal Officer who is not a lawyer, has never studied law formally, and actually had a degree in Marketing.


Question 2:
Shouldn't Dash Core Group Executives (Fernando, Ryan, Robert etc) give their opinion on proposals that are of massive value and importance? Like when a proposal is worth more than the combined salaries of the entire Dash Core Group for a whole year?
 
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Dash's Roadmap and deadlines have been grossly missed.

roadmap.jpg

On October 2017, Chuck Williams updated the roadmap at the Dash Conference. That has been grossly missed too.

chuck.jpg

Missed deadlines lowers investor's and general public's confidence, especially when done multiple times and in such a short period. It shows that you don't understand the problem, or the work, or is just not capable of correctly estimating tasks.

Question 1:
Is there an updated roadmap with deadlines for the different phrases of Dash Evolution?

Question 2:
Why should the general public and Dash investors believe you this time?
 
Dash Core Group has had, for about 2 years, what can be considered unlimited money. There was plenty of money left in the budget, all it had to do was ask. In my opinion, Dash Core Group should be a multinational corporation, with offices in dozens of countries. Dash Spain, Dash UK, Dash Germany, Dash India, Dash Japan, Dash Argentina each with their own CMO, Director of Business Development etc, Programmers etc. The benefits of having local teams for Marketing, Business Development, and other areas in different countries are obvious: you wouldn't want a German living in Switzerland as Head of Marketing for India. You want someone familiar with the language, culture, and local professional experience.

To Ryan Taylor:
Does Dash Core Group have plans to expand internationally?
Followup: If it is, and given that you have (for all intends and purposes) unlimited resources, why haven't you acted on it yet?
Followup: If it is not, shouldn't there be encouragement (through active marketing) to have people take on these initiatives?

I am sure people would be very motivated to created a Dash Core Group office in their own country given the proper incentive. There are a lot of really qualified members in this community.

edit: Emphasis added because @TanteStefana can't read.
 
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Dash doesn't have unlimited resources, I don't know where you get that from, @mikebam ?? Also, what does an office achieve? The one in Arizona is on the campus of Arizona State University which we have a symbiotic relationship with. It makes sense to have.

My questions:
With the vast abilities that Dash has with the DAO, DAPI, Dash Drive, etc... can we expand a new section of core to build applications on top of it? I understand that we will be improving and building out the core application, but I think we should have Dash Core build out some of the most important and needed applications aside from wallets. Those being a decentralized exchange and decentralized market place (ebay on the blockchain) The latter being extremely important and very possible to deliver with the Dash Drive. We can create an easy to use interface for anyone to sell their things as easy to use as ebay, perhaps easier. It would be one of the best ways for people to earn/get Dash, without going through an exchange. Thus perfect for people who have no access. This can work any place where there is bartering in the world, and thus I think it's important.
 
Dash Core Group has had 60+ developers and millions of dollars in budget for more than 2 years now. Correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think the development team has released any significant product or update during this time. Mobile wallets still suck, protocol is still the same (minor changes), Core wallet is exactly the same as it was 2 years ago. In my opinion, the rate on which Dash Core Group delivers is not acceptable, but at least we can all agree that it can be significantly improved. We are also in a very competitive industry where evolution might come too late, because timing is critical.

Question to Ryan Taylor:
- Given that you have about 20x more resources at your disposal than you're currently asking for, what can Dash Core Group do right now to drastically improve the rate of deliverables?

In my opinion frequent updates have to come in parallel to other big projects. Mobile wallets cannot suck for 2 years while evolution is being worked on.

Edit: removed a sentence.
 
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mikebam said:
Dash's CMO, Fernando, has never formally studied marketing - he is a lawyer and an economist. Fernando went to school for 6 years to study Law, not Marketing. He then studied 3 years of Economics, not Marketing. He also is not involved in the any of the major marketing decisions surrounding the budget, and instead choses to give his opinion only on low value, low impact proposals.

Question 1:
Wouldn't Dash be better off by hiring a CMO with academic and professional experience exclusively in Marketing, and let Fernando handle other areas of the business?

I am not doubting he has contributed greatly to Dash. I am not doubting he might be an excellent lawyer or an excellent economist. But should he be in Marketing at all? It is my opinion that Dash should hire someone extremely qualified as a Chief Marketing Officer. Someone who has studied marketing for years, with professional experience in Marketing, not promote someone out of a feeling of gratitude, which seems to be the case. Imagine Dash hired a Chief Legal Officer who is not a lawyer, has never studied law formally, and actually had a degree in Marketing.


Question 2:
Shouldn't Dash CMO give out his opinion on Marketing proposals that are of massive value and importance? Like when a proposal is worth more than the combined salaries of the entire Dash Core Group for a whole year?
Click to expand...

It seems we are expanding not focusing.

If the CMO does not identify who are our users, who are our customers, where are they from, etc.. How Team can serve them? How the community focus our efforts and resources?
 
mastermined said:
Is core in communication with anyone in Japan about this.....

JAPAN COULD PRESSURE EXCHANGES TO DROP MONERO & DASH: REPORTS
WILMA WOO · APRIL 30, 2018 · 5:00 PM

A Japanese regulatory working group focussing on cryptocurrencies has suggested exchanges should not be “allowed” to trade certain altcoins including Dash and Monero.
http://bitcoinist.com/japan-pressure-exchanges-drop-monero-dash-reports/
Click to expand...

The fact that Bradley mentions something related to the JFSA as one of his todo items in the most recent “What is going on at Dash Core Group” slide deck strongly implies that the answer to this question is yes (or will soon be yes), but it would be nice to get a longer form official response from Core regarding this issue.
 
Everyone wants to know but no one is asking, so I'll do it. To Ryan Taylor: Would you consider getting rid of Dash's privacy feature if exchanges, policy makers and politicians start to cause issues with "privacy coins"? Everyone knows you can't act on it by yourself but people want to know your thoughts, your personal opinion on the matter.

This isn't "my" question and if I only get to ask one or two I'd chose https://www.dash.org/forum/threads/...18-summary-call-4-may-2018.37451/#post-184977 and https://www.dash.org/forum/threads/...18-summary-call-4-may-2018.37451/#post-184994.
 
mikebam said:
Everyone wants to know but no one is asking, so I'll do it. To Ryan Taylor: Would you consider getting rid of Dash's privacy feature if exchanges, policy makers and politicians start to cause issues with "privacy coins"? Everyone knows you can't act on it by yourself but people want to know your thoughts, your personal opinion on the matter.
Click to expand...

Sure, I'll second this, for Ryan Taylor. I would broaden the scope of the question though. Do you think that the regulatory environment is becoming a significant obstacle to Dash because of PrivateSend? What are the scenarios you envision may be likely to occur, and what recommendations do you have for how Dash should respond?
 
mastermined said:
Is core in communication with anyone in Japan about this.....

JAPAN COULD PRESSURE EXCHANGES TO DROP MONERO & DASH: REPORTS
WILMA WOO · APRIL 30, 2018 · 5:00 PM

A Japanese regulatory working group focussing on cryptocurrencies has suggested exchanges should not be “allowed” to trade certain altcoins including Dash and Monero.
http://bitcoinist.com/japan-pressure-exchanges-drop-monero-dash-reports/
Click to expand...

Yes, we do work on this with lawyers and also local supporters and exchanges in order to change this perception (Dash being privacy-focused coin)
 
My biggest concern / question is for more detail regarding usernames. Imo, name space management is a critical component. If we build a generic one-dimensional name space, it will create more problems than solutions. We either need to use an existing name space (ENS, blockstack etc), or build a compatible and improved DNS. A dash powered DNS would protect against DNS hijacking and censorship. It would also reduce liability to DCG and potentially provide our treasury with an income from TLD licenses (Top Level Domains e.g. ".org", ".travel", ".food" etc). TLD licenses could, in theory, be voted and manged via our governance system. Liability for individual usernames would, therefore, be dispersed.

My question is for more detail and plans for usernames / name space. I want some assurance that this subject is being given the priority it deserves.
 
This is a 3 part question for Bradley Zastrow that was brought up to me by my partner in our Dash talks. I am treating this as an executive meeting where hard questions can be asked and answered without concerns for hurt feelings.

Bradley, you're announced as Director of Global Business Development back in December 2017. You've been in this position for 5 months now. So far, you haven't hired a single person to work for you and and haven't announced any new partnership or integration. Your updates on "What's Going on With Dash" are the only ones filled with [redacted] and when they're not, it's a vague statement like "30+ conversations". I do not know you personally or professionally, and my perception of your poor performance so far is based on the results that I (don't) see.

Question 1:
Please comment on your performance in relation to building your team and your results since joining DCG 5 months ago.

Question 2:
What are the major 1m, 3m and 6m goals for you personally and for your department? Please keep it factual and objective.

Question 3:
In relation to those goals, what are some tangible results with verifiable metrics that you can commit on delivering to Dash Core Group within the next 1, 3 and 6 months?
(Today is May 2. I am assuming Bradley will be able to have this ready for the call. If not, please post in the forum later on).

Thank you.
 
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Question for Kelly Kopp-Schuetz or Glenn Austin.

Multiple DCG employees have confirmed to me that they're paid market rates and that this rate is adjusted based on their location. DCG has been able to pay top dollars for our employees for almost 2 years now. This is a competitive industry and our employees can make millions buy working for other projects as consultants or just endorsing it.
https://twitter.com/RTaylor05/status/990710200398118912

By paying them exceptionally well, we get to expect top performance for top wages, we keep our talent and motivate others to join. I want to be able to freely question any Dash Core Group employee on his / her performance, without having the feeling that this person is doing favors or volunteering. In my opinion paying our employees well is also a huge return on the investment and the very best use of our budget.

I don't assume there is a reason for this and even if there is, is I don't assume it is of any relevance, so I'll jump straight to the point.

Question
What actions can we take right now so ensure that all Dash Core Group employees are paid top dollar, well above market rates, starting not soon or 6 months from now, but starting next budget cycle (June 2018)?
 
Does Core have a specific plan to tackle the remittance market?

Could someone from the marketing team comment on the value of facilitating the open source Cannabis Genetics proposal, whereby we prevent Big Ag and Big Pharma from locking up low cost medicinal cannabis with overly broad patents?
 
1) Does DCG feel that Blockchain patents could be a significant roadblock in the development of dash software(e.g Bitcoin cash only patents by nChain)

2) @Bradley Zastrow: Could you please elaborate on the bizDev strategy pre and post evolution going forward. Are you planning on hiring more people besides the regional managers and if yes on what timeframe?

3) @fernando: could you please comment the recent imperfect landing pages by O&M. You might not know since you stated(in Discord or reddit) that it wasn’t reachable by the public but it was in fact displayed when googling “Dash”. How long have they been online? Do you feel OM is delivering appropriate work for dash? At what point would you reconsider working with them?

4) When can the dash community expect the updated roadmap and white paper for evolution?
 
mikebam said:
Dash's Roadmap and deadlines have been grossly missed.

View attachment 7164

On October 2017, Chuck Williams updated the roadmap at the Dash Conference. That has been grossly missed too.

View attachment 7165

Missed deadlines lowers investor's and general public's confidence, especially when done multiple times and in such a short period. It shows that you don't understand the problem, or the work, or is just not capable of correctly estimating tasks.

Question 1:
Is there an updated roadmap with deadlines for the different phrases of Dash Evolution?

Question 2:
Why should the general public and Dash investors believe you this time?
Click to expand...

Hi @mikebam ,
I believe we have answered these questions during 2 last calls.
There will be no commitments to specific release dates anymore as we work on too complicated product that was never developed before. There are too many unknowns and risks to give any commitments. Instead we will publish a roadmap with clear milestones and will be updating realisation of them on regular basis.

You don't have to believe us or anyone else. We do whatever possible and necessary to develop the product. We have failed many times to deliver on time but we have never failed to deliver.
 
@mikebam - you have submitted many questions - I cannot promise answers to all of them, as we have limited time for this call and we would like to address questions of multiple community members
In case we are not answering during the call, we'll do our best to answer them on the forum
 
mikebam said:
[...]

To Ryan Taylor:
Does Dash Core Group have plans to expand internationally?
Followup: If it is, and given that you have (for all intends and purposes) unlimited resources, why haven't you acted on it yet?
Followup: If it is not, shouldn't there be encouragement (through active marketing) to have people take on these initiatives?

I am sure people would be very motivated to created a Dash Core Group office in their own country given the proper incentive. There are a lot of really qualified members in this community.

edit: Emphasis added because @TanteStefana can't read.
Click to expand...

The main question - I am putting on the list.
As for the followups - DCG exists only since couple of months. We have created a legal setup that doesn't exist anywhere else. We need to prove that it works before any expansion is happening.
When we are having stable company and operations, we can think about other legal entities, using experience gained in US.

Different story is a budget perspective. You suggest unlimited budget - this is simply not true. Budget is always limited and we have also committed to consume only what is necessary, leaving great portion of the budget for other projects - this is absolutely critical to create healthy DAO environment. And we always encourage other companies and individuals to participate in the ecosystem - DCG should be only one of many companies working for the Dash network.

It would be highly irresponsible to build multiple legal entities at this time in my opinion. We would probably consume entire budget and there would be no space for other projects. Not to mention complexity of administrative and operational tasks.
 
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