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Aave’s governance civil war just got louder. Community steward Marc Zeller has published a scathing rebuke of 
Aave Labs ahead of the DAO's monumental “Aave Will Win” vote, which seeks to route more than $50M in funding to the centralized Aave Labs team.
What's the Scoop?
- Funding Flashpoint: Just before a Snapshot vote to grant Aave Labs the largest funding request in DAO history, Aave Chan Initiative (ACI) founder Marc Zeller has published an “audit,” questioning whether Aave Labs has delivered sufficient returns to justify its $86M in total historical funding.
- No Accountability: Zeller's audit criticises Aave Labs for the total lack of transparency into its operations, flagging undisclosed AAVE holdings and potential governance influence as key concerns. The audit further opines that non-core Labs ventures have largely failed, crediting Aave's success instead to external service providers and contributors.
- Depositor Angst: An unusually large $12M RLUSD withdrawal by
Ripple Labs from Aave's institution-focused Horizon earlier today is fueling speculation that the move may be tied to rising uncertainty around Aave, particularly amid the impending departure of core developer BGD Labs.
As the Aave DAO is about to vote on the largest funding proposal in its history involving a controversial contributor, Aave Labs, we published a full audit of their (lack of) performance.
— Marc ”七十 Billy” Zeller (@Marczeller) February 25, 2026
It's a very long read, but I invite everyone to dive in and form their own opinion based on… https://t.co/1MgBUeigye
