Transition Period Roadmap

The Earthlings people is in its formative stage. Full decentralization is the goal, not the starting point. We are building it openly, and everyone can observe the process.

This document describes the transition period: from the moment of foundation to achieving full governance autonomy. It establishes the principles that guide us, the phases we plan to complete, and the control mechanisms that ensure accountability at every step.

The transition period is built on five principles that ensure the legitimacy of the process and protect participants' interests:

Transition Period Functions

During the transition phase, functions are performed that will subsequently be transferred to the DAO:

• Making operational decisions on infrastructure development
• Managing financial resources with public reporting
• Coordinating technical development
• Representing the Earthlings people in external communications

These powers are temporary and functional.

Authority Limitations

Even during the transition period, founders cannot:

• Modify the Declaration or its fundamental principles
• Deprive Earthlings of their status or rights
• Make decisions that contradict the people's values
• Use community resources for personal purposes
• Block the decentralization process

Control Mechanisms

To ensure accountability during the transition period, the following are in effect:

• Quarterly reports - financial information, decisions made, development progress
• Open source - all technical solutions are published and available for audit
• Feedback channels - any Earthling can ask a question and receive an answer

Funding Sources

The Earthlings people is funded from the following sources:

• Membership fees - one-time fee upon joining
• Voluntary donations and grants - voluntary support for development
• Partnerships - collaboration with projects that share Earthlings values

Expenditure Categories

Funds are directed to:

• Development and maintenance of technical infrastructure
• Legal support and protection of interests
• Operational expenses (servers, services, security)
• Community development and communications
• Reserve fund for unforeseen circumstances

Reporting

Financial information is published quarterly and includes:

• Total volume of receipts by source
• Distribution of expenses by category
• Remaining funds and reserves
• Planned expenses for the next period

Development Principles

Technical infrastructure is created with future decentralization in mind:

• Open source - source code is published for community review
• Modularity - components can be replaced without rebuilding the entire system
• No single point of failure - critical systems are duplicated

Current Component Status

Transition from one phase to the next occurs upon meeting objective criteria, not by founders' decision:

Transition to Phase 3 (DAO Launch)

• Critical mass of verified participants is achieved
• Governance smart contracts have passed independent audit
• Successful testing of voting mechanisms is completed
• Community has demonstrated capacity for self-organization

Transition to Phase 4 (Full Decentralization)

• DAO has successfully operated for at least 12 months
• At least 100 decisions have been made through the voting mechanism
• No critical security incidents have occurred
• Technical infrastructure does not depend on specific individuals
• Community has confirmed readiness for full autonomy through voting

History teaches that freedom is lost not at the start and not in maturity, but in the transition. Revolutions gave birth to dictators precisely at the moment of transition: the old order is broken, the new one is not yet locked in, and someone takes power "temporarily, for the sake of order" - and the temporary becomes permanent. A roadmap to a society without a master is obliged to answer this risk by design, not by a promise of good intentions. Our answer is three pillars, and none of them reduces to trusting the founders.

The founders' power only narrows, never expands

Each stage consolidates the decentralization achieved and revokes part of the temporary powers; a return to a more centralized model is architecturally excluded. We deliberately refuse the temptation to "temporarily concentrate power for the sake of efficiency" - the very justification used by every transitional dictatorship.

The core is already out of reach

The immutable foundations of the Declaration cannot be changed by anyone - neither the founders nor the majority - not in the transition and not after. The procedure and the infrastructure can be tuned; that for the sake of which everything exists is protected from any hand from the very beginning.

The guarantor is not a guardian but the right to leave

The ultimate protection of the transition is the same as that of a mature people: voluntary membership and open, reproducible code. If the transition is captured or stalled without objective reasons, participants do not depend on the founders' mercy - they leave and reproduce the people on an uncaptured basis. This turns transparency from a plea for trust into leverage: a delay in decentralization becomes not only visible but reversible by the community's own efforts.

We openly acknowledge the risks of the transition period and describe mechanisms to minimize them:

Risk of Power Concentration

Problem: Founders may not want to transfer governance.

Protection: Transition criteria are objective and public. Delay of decentralization without objective reasons will become obvious to the community. Reputational mechanisms and transparency make abuse unprofitable.

Structural protection (not only reputational): the immutable core is beyond the founders' reach, their powers narrow monotonically and irreversibly, and there is a right of exit and reproduction on open code - a captured or stalled transition can be left behind by the community and continued without the founders. Abuse is not merely visible - it is reversible without their consent.

Risk of Technical Errors

Problem: Vulnerabilities in smart contracts or infrastructure.

Protection: Independent audit, open source, phased deployment, bug bounty program, backup mechanisms.

Risk of External Pressure

Problem: States or organizations may oppose the project.

Protection: Decentralized architecture eliminates a single point of attack. Legal structure is distributed across jurisdictions. Transparency of activities reduces grounds for persecution.

Risk of Community Apathy

Problem: Participants may not participate in governance.

Protection: Vote delegation mechanisms, reputation system, gradual involvement through working groups, educational programs.

This document is not a promise. It is a plan we intend to execute, and commitments against which we can be held accountable.

A transition period is inevitable for any new formation. The question is how it is organized. We have chosen the path of maximum transparency: we acknowledge current limitations, establish principles, publish criteria, and report on progress.

Every Earthling has the right to:

• Demand an account of any transition period decision
• Ask questions and receive answers
• Participate in development discussions
• Point out inconsistencies between words and actions