As we launch forward into the future decentralized ShapeShift, I thought it might be useful to lay out a vision of what it means to be a ShapeShift FOX. ShapeShift has evolved a lot over the past seven plus years, but much of the core founding principles and culture that we have developed over that time has remained consistent.

Our culture at ShapeShift has been grounded in three core values: we have expected our Foxes to be Kind, Pioneering, and to embody Integrity. 

These core values have been essential to how the culture at ShapeShift has developed to this point, and it goes hand in hand with our focus and alignment around self-custody, decentralization, and the broader crypto ecosystem that we have always seen ourselves as a part of. ShapeShift has been lucky to have a team full of immensely talented people who have embraced these values over the years, and I am sure they will help create the core of a kind and pioneering decentralized community that shows great integrity in everything they do. 

Obviously, moving forward I have no particular right or ability to influence what the meaning of a ShapeShift FOX is; that will ultimately be up to the community and will evolve over time. With that said, I still think perhaps we can collectively steer things in a positive direction by presenting this “Foxifesto” below to give an idea of what being a FOX has meant historically and hopefully lay a foundation for what it can mean in the decentralized future that we all build together.

- Jon ShapeShift

What it means to be a ShapeShift FOX:

  • We believe that blockchains and crypto tech are tools that can empower people on a global level.
  • We believe in the multi-chain future: many useful digital assets and applications will live on multiple blockchains.
  • We believe in the importance of self-custody as an inherent quality of blockchain and crypto networks.
  • We believe in decentralization and permissionless innovation.
  • We believe in the ability for anyone to frictionlessly swap one digital asset for another. 
  • We believe in being open minded about new crypto projects and opportunities (but this should be paired with healthy skepticism).
  • We believe in the spirit of open cooperation with a positive sum mindset. We can support and build on top of other crypto projects and make the whole ecosystem stronger together.
  • We believe that open discussion and debate is healthy for the community and leads to better ideas and experiments.
  • We believe in kindness and treating each other with respect. A community that is kind to each other will inevitably do greater things than one that is constantly infighting. This includes kindness to other communities and those that we disagree with.
  • We believe that crypto as a whole will continue to evolve, and we remain open to what that evolution may look like.
  • We believe in the power of DAOs to reshape the allocation and incentive structures of human capital over the next decades for the better.

Interested in joining our community and becoming a ShapeShift FOX yourself? Join our FOX Forum and discord and get engaged in the discussion.