# Is it time to stop using external methodologists for new products?

**URL:** <https://gov.indexcoop.com/t/is-it-time-to-stop-using-external-methodologists-for-new-products/1978>\
**Category:** Product\
**Created:** [15 July 2021 18:27 UTC](https://gov.indexcoop.com/t/is-it-time-to-stop-using-external-methodologists-for-new-products/1978 "2021-07-15T18:27:54Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 8

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**Author:** ![Thomas\_Hepner](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/user_avatar/gov.indexcoop.com/thomas_hepner/32/111_2.png) [@Thomas\_Hepner](https://gov.indexcoop.com/u/Thomas_Hepner)\
**Post date:** [16 July 2021 21:59 UTC](https://gov.indexcoop.com/t/is-it-time-to-stop-using-external-methodologists-for-new-products/1978/8 "2021-07-16T21:59:45Z")

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@jdcook @overanalyser

Providing some additional context to @Kiba 's comments.

> [@Kiba](#):
>
> The methodologist rewards are so much higher than contributor rewards and the competitive incentives of the methodologist program means that **I would make more INDEX by destroying DPI as a fellow methodologist than any single Coop contributor has ever made building DPI.**

Firstly, @kiba literally got paid like $1,000 by the Index Cooperative for getting DPI listed on CREAM. [Now about 20% of DPI TVL is in CREAM.](https://discord.com/channels/762061559744299010/801879223022125156/865290974648598579) **This is grossly unfair to Kiba given the huge contribution he has made to the success of the Index Cooperative.**

 ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/uploads/theindexdao/original/2X/0/0d316ef66d633829b2ec49e2de2d11e6d1ba9c3f.png)

(_Not a threat, just an explanation!)_ In Crypto, we always need think to be able to think from an [adversarial mindset](https://medium.com/@danrobinson/ethereum-is-a-dark-forest-ecc5f0505dff). The Methodologist Program actually incentives @Kiba to use his influence on CREAM listing committe to delist DPI and list DATA to game the INDEX rewards payout. Yikes!

> [@Kiba](#):
>
> The coop also doesn’t pay people well enough to come in-house, we’d have to at least 4x community methodologist salary and double INDEX reward i’d say

Set Labs earns ~77.8k INDEX per month from 28% vesting contract and DFP earns ~47k INDEX per month between their 2% vesting contract and the Methodologist Program rewards whereas all contributors combined earned only 7.5k INDEX in June.

**To put this in clear terms, combined these two entities are earning \>16x voting INDEX of all Index Coop contributors combined on a monthly basis because the Community Treasury cannot vote on governance decisions.** _This means the Community Treasury is effectively controlled by these two entities._

This has serious implications for both governance (how do we reach quorum if Set Labs doesn’t vote?) and centralization concerns.

The Index Cooperative is becoming more centralized over time; **DFP + Set Labs will control \>50% of all voting INDEX by end of year on the current trajectory.**

![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex027/uploads/theindexdao/original/2X/d/dd040fc97dbea70bbbb082be16d60160ea767733.png)

**This is the opposite of progressive decentralization.**

[See Analysis Here](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xMwmf-3e1OK6GFsTilF4YIjCykFOWsRMIwSxl9BAXkU/edit?usp=sharing)

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_[View the full topic](https://gov.indexcoop.com/t/is-it-time-to-stop-using-external-methodologists-for-new-products/1978)._