Livepeer has officially launched the Livepeer Foundation, a non-profit entity designed to steward the long-term growth and decentralization of its thriving video infrastructure network.
The launch stands in direct contrast to a recent report by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), which argued that the foundation model has outlived its usefulness in the crypto space. Livepeer, which operates the world’s largest decentralized video infrastructure network, believes the opposite: that credible neutrality and sustainable coordination still matter—especially as real-time AI video emerges as a transformative force in the industry.
The Foundation is now live and fully operational, serving as the connective tissue between network participants, independent developers, and ecosystem builders.
“The Livepeer network is at a pivotal moment,” said Rich O’Grady, Executive Director of the Foundation. “Real-time AI video represents a massive opportunity, but realizing this potential requires more than product execution. The Foundation creates the coordination infrastructure needed to align our diverse ecosystem around shared goals while enabling broader community participation.”
The Case for Coordination Over Control
The Livepeer Foundation’s launch comes just weeks after a16z published a lengthy critique claiming that foundations have become an inefficient workaround for regulatory uncertainty and a drag on crypto innovation. According to a16z, developer companies—not foundations—should carry networks forward.
But Livepeer, a network that already processes millions of video minutes per week and serves applications reaching millions of users, sees things differently. The team believes that sustainable decentralization doesn’t emerge from abandoning shared governance, but from maturing it.
"Livepeer Inc remains dedicated to driving demand and finding product-market fit at the intersection of video and AI,” says Doug Petkanics, CEO of Livepeer, Inc.
“The Foundation creates space for the community to run additional initiatives and contribute meaningfully to the network while we pursue our thesis for next-generation video platform," Petkanics added.
Why the Livepeer Model Defies the Trend
While a16z calls foundations a structural crutch, Livepeer is demonstrating how a well-designed foundation can function as a force multiplier. Rather than relying on vague mandates or rigid legal separations, the Livepeer Foundation has been structured around three pillars designed for scale and transparency:
Strategy and Vision through community-led Advisory Boards
Core Network Development in partnership with Special Purpose Entities (SPEs)
Ecosystem Growth via targeted onboarding and grant support
Unlike many foundations criticized for centralizing power or lacking accountability, Livepeer’s structure is explicitly designed to decentralize decision-making over time. It introduces a multi-year roadmap that begins with support and gradually hands over protocol stewardship to the broader community.
A Rebuttal to the a16z Thesis
The a16z report argues that companies provide better incentive alignment, capital deployment, and talent acquisition. But Livepeer’s approach suggests that the dichotomy between companies and foundations is a false one.
The Foundation doesn’t replace Livepeer Inc—it complements it. One focuses on commercialization, the other on coordination. Together, they allow the network to scale responsibly while maintaining open access and neutrality.
Furthermore, Livepeer’s team argues that removing foundations from the equation doesn’t remove centralization risks—it just hides them behind corporate structures.
Overall, Livepeer’s bet is that the next era of crypto won’t be built by abandoning coordination, but by doubling down on it—with transparency, community involvement, and a clear mission. While new tools like DUNAs and BORGs may enhance onchain governance in the future, Livepeer sees immediate, actionable value in a live, structured foundation that can execute today.
