TheGuild Presentation
What is it?
The Guild is a peer-run organization where software developers certify each other’s skills, learn together, and create opportunities. It is built on the idea that developers are stronger when united.
The organization should be flat and use member-driven governance. It should also be non-profit as its only goal is to help developers.
Inspired by the artisan guilds of the past (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guild) — which built trust between craftsmen and communities whilst empowering its members — the Guild seeks to do the same for developers today.
Why?
Decentralized technologies remind us that power can flow from communities rather than corporations. The Guild takes this ethos seriously. The ideas of horizontal organisations and liquid democracy were very much at the core of the first projects that emerged in that space (EVM in particular, since smart contracts allow this), and I believe we need to get back to this.
Surprisingly, no such community exists yet at scale — perhaps because until recently developers enjoyed strong job security.
We are entering an era where AI is seen by many founders and financiers as a way to reduce reliance on developers — treating us as costs to be minimized rather than partners in innovation. This creates pressure on our profession, both in terms of wages and recognition.
The Guild exists as a reminder that software is not built by machines alone. It requires the creativity, judgment, and collaboration of humans who understand not just how to whisper to computers, but how to shape technology responsibly. By organizing together, we can ensure that developers remain empowered — not replaced, undervalued, or isolated. The Guild is about building trust among ourselves, and strength in numbers when facing the forces that would prefer us divided.
How does it work?
There are many things a Guild for Software Engineers could take care of but I think we need a starting point.
My vision is that the foundation of the Guild should be a peer-to-peer certification network. Just like the guilds of the middle ages were a system to guarantee the quality of the work done by members of the guild, the Guild should build first and foremost a network of trust.
In the spirit of simplicity, we should not build a trustless certification system that would require a lot of complexity but instead build a trustful network where we give each other badges representing skills that we recognize in each other. The concept is similar to skills on linkedin, except it would be on-chain, verifiable, community-built
The goal here is quantity over quality. Look at google reviews for example. We know that one can easily buy a restaurant review and that even real ones are heavily biased, and yet a high volume of reviews on a restaurant usually yields an accurate assessment. The idea is the same with this certification system: in aggregate, these endorsements form a credible picture of a developer’s skills — even if individual ratings are imperfect.
Also the idea is that the process of giving badges to each other should generate meaningful conversations about coding best practices and good coding skills.
The vision is that members would ask questions to other guild members and learn new skills and then ask for certification about these new skills. Then they would coordinate on personal side projects to improve these skills and get more badges as they do this.
Guild Principles (V0)
- Simple first, complex later.
- Non-profit, member-driven.
- Horizontal governance.
- Action over endless talk.
- We use what we build.
Join the discord! https://discord.gg/axCqT23Xhj
We will soon publish another article explaining the plan and the specs of the first prototype.
