Governance & the Livepeer Foundation
Livepeer is governed by its community. Token holders — orchestrators, delegators, and gateway operators — collectively decide how the network evolves through on-chain proposals and treasury funding. The Livepeer Foundation coordinates this process and stewards the ecosystem’s long-term direction.This page covers governance participation and the Foundation’s role. For LPT staking mechanics, delegation, and voting weight, see the LPT Token section.
The Livepeer Foundation
The Livepeer Foundation (LF) is a Cayman Islands non-profit, announced in April 2025 and formally established in June 2025. Its mission is to steward the long-term vision, ecosystem growth, and core development of the Livepeer network. The Foundation is not a replacement for Livepeer Inc — it is a complementary structure designed to coordinate the ecosystem’s expanding set of contributors, SPEs, and community initiatives.| Entity | Primary role |
|---|---|
| Livepeer Inc | Original protocol creator; continues core R&D and the go-livepeer codebase |
| Livepeer Foundation | Ecosystem coordination, strategic roadmap, contributor onboarding, capital deployment |
| Community Treasury | Governed by all LPT stakers on-chain; funds SPEs and ecosystem work |
| GovWorks | Meta-governance SPE; supports proposal authors and oversees treasury process |
- 2025 — Foundation Phase: Core operations, Advisory Boards, real-time video AI adoption
- 2026–2027 — Scaling Phase: Lead project marketing, diversify gateway infrastructure, scale demand
- 2028+ — Decentralisation Phase: Full brand stewardship and strategic governance transitions to the broader community
Advisory Boards
In June 2025, the Foundation launched four Advisory Boards to provide structured, community-informed strategic input. Each board drew on 45+ community survey responses and is composed of contributors from Livepeer Inc, the Foundation, orchestrators, gateway operators, and delegators.Network
Protocol architecture, performance, infrastructure priorities, and technical roadmap.
Governance
Treasury operations, proposal processes, decentralisation mechanisms, and GovWorks oversight.
Growth
Developer and gateway onboarding, ecosystem expansion, demand generation.
Markets
Token economics, liquidity, exchange access, and market positioning.
- Phase 1 Strategic Pillars (published 10 July 2025)
- Phase 2 Tactical Recommendations (published 30 July 2025)
Workstreams
In August 2025, the Livepeer Foundation introduced Workstreams — nine focused execution areas that translate Advisory Board strategy into concrete, contributor-facing work. Each workstream has a phased roadmap (Now / Next / Beyond).- Brand & Communication
- Livepeer Builders
- Core Contributor Coordination
- Ecosystem Data & Tooling
- LPT Participation
- Core R&D
- Real-Time Video AI
- Compute Marketplace
- Active Capital Management
Ambition: A leading, globally-recognised brand for video and AI infrastructure.Covers ecosystem messaging, content strategy, developer storytelling, and Livepeer’s presence at events and in media. Relevant for community contributors, content creators, and technical writers.
Read the full Workstreams post
The Foundation’s August 2025 post outlines each workstream with its Now / Next / Beyond roadmap and how to get involved.
Special Purpose Entities (SPEs)
SPEs are the primary mechanism for funded community work. Any community member can propose an SPE — a working group with a specific mandate, funded by an on-chain treasury vote. Notable SPEs active in 2025:| SPE | Approved | Funding | Mandate |
|---|---|---|---|
| GovWorks | Feb 2025 | — | Meta-governance and treasury coordination |
| AI Video SPE Stage 4 | Jun 2025 | 56,560 LPT | ComfyStream, BYOC containers, AI infrastructure |
| LiveInfra | Jul 2025 | 7,152 LPT | Community Arbitrum Node, 99.9% uptime |
| GWID | May 2025 | 6,600 LPT | Gateway wizard and simplified gateway operation |
| LISAR | Sep 2025 | 4,450 LPT | Fiat-to-delegation gateway (USD, EUR, GBP, NGN) |
| Transformation | Sep 2025 | 44,500 LPT | Capital, Builders, and Development coordination |
How to propose an SPE
The process is defined and maintained by GovWorks. The full guide is at forum.livepeer.org/t/livepeer-governance-process/2767.Develop your idea
Check existing SPEs and the SPE Dashboard to confirm your proposal fills a genuine gap. Consider whether applying to an existing SPE’s grants programme (e.g., Transformation SPE) is a better fit than a standalone treasury proposal.
Get early feedback
Post a Pre-Proposal in the Treasury category using the SPE Proposal Template. Leave at least 7 days for community discussion. Attend a Treasury Talk or Water Cooler call in Discord to get direct feedback.
Build community support
Tag
@Orchestrator in the Discord #governance channel to notify active validators. Surface the proposal on social media. Quorum requires 33% of all active stake — visibility is critical.Submit on-chain
Submit your final proposal at explorer.livepeer.org/treasury. You need at least 100 LPT staked to submit. GovWorks can connect you with a staker if needed — contact them via the GovWorks Notion Hub.
Voting period
After a ~21-hour delay, a 10-round voting window opens (approximately 9 days). Any orchestrator or staked delegator can vote For, Against, or Abstain via the Explorer.
GovWorks
GovWorks is the meta-governance SPE for Livepeer, chaired by StableLab since November 2024. It provides mentorship for new SPE authors, standardises proposal formats, maintains the Governance Hub, and publishes regular governance digests. GovWorks’ first term (February–July 2025) delivered: standardised proposal formats, quarterly funding cycles, a Governance Wiki and Hub, governance digest publications, and direct SPE onboarding support for new working groups.GovWorks Notion Hub
SPE templates, mentorship, and governance documentation maintained by StableLab.
SPE Dashboard
Active SPEs, open bounties, execution status, and budget tracking.
Governance Forum
LIPs, meta-governance discussion, GovWorks updates, and parameter change proposals.
GovWorks Updates
Regular governance digests and operational reports from StableLab.
Voting mechanics
All governance votes — both treasury proposals and protocol parameter changes — use the same on-chain system anchored in Arbitrum.| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Minimum stake to submit a proposal | 100 LPT (staked) |
| Voting delay after submission | ~21 hours |
| Voting period | 10 rounds (~9 days) |
| Quorum threshold | 33% of all active stake must vote |
| Passing threshold | More than 50% of votes must be For |
| Vote options | For, Against, Abstain |
Technical governance: LIPs
Protocol-level changes use Livepeer Improvement Proposals (LIPs). The current on-chain treasury and governance framework is defined by LIP-89 through LIP-92 (the Treasury Bundle), ratified in October 2023. These LIPs established the treasury, the 33% quorum rule, and the funding release mechanism.Livepeer LIPs on GitHub
All LIPs, their current status, and the governance process for protocol changes.
Gateway operators and governance
Gateway operators have a direct stake in governance outcomes — protocol fee structures, AI subnet pricing, and network parameters directly affect operational economics. How governance is relevant to gateway operators:- SPE proposals can fund tooling that simplifies your operation (e.g., GWID SPE, May 2025)
- Parameter change LIPs affect pricing, reward structures, and network behaviour
- Workstream contributions — particularly the Compute Marketplace and Livepeer Builders workstreams — are open to gateway operators
- Discord
#governance— tag@Orchestratorto ensure your feedback is heard before a vote closes