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- Jacob Arluck helped shape Tezos governance by bridging political theory and blockchain protocol development.
- He now drives modular blockchain strategies at Celestia while staying grounded in community design.
Few people remember the first day Jacob Arluck held the Tezos whitepaper, but he still smiles when he tells the story: “I read it while waiting for a train that never came.” That little experience on the platform, it is said, prompted him to dive deeper into Tezos’ self-amendment concept. Jacob’s time studying political science gave him the courage to combine liquid democracy theory with code.
He later co-founded TQ Tezos—where he built tools, wrote technical essays, and connected developers with funders. Furthermore, his work on Liquid Proof-of-Stake helped the term jump from small forums to global conference stages.
The first highlight came when the “Athens” proposal passed an on-chain vote, a routine test that shows that a network can update itself without a dramatic “hard fork.” Jacob didn’t just stand behind the scenes, though; he often took to the Telegram “floor,” fielding trivial questions—“Why did the originator name it a Greek god?”—with the patience of a museum clerk.
It’s this curation of public communication that many other project teams overlook. He occasionally makes a lighthearted joke, comparing protocol upgrades to tending a bonsai: “If you let it run wild, the branches can overlap,” he said in a podcast.
Jacob Arluck: Moving into a Modular World, Without Forgetting the Roots
Time moves on—like the ever-growing number of new blocks—and Jacob Arluck finds that his challenge is no longer simply managing token holders’ votes. Last year, he moved to a role as Head of Strategy at Celestia Labs. “It’s a bit like going from a chamber orchestra to a festival stage,” he joked.
But the move hasn’t cut off Tezos’s life. He continues to monitor the “Carthage” and “Ithaca” votes while also working on data availability rollups in his new office.
In practice, Celestia is trying to break down the blockchain into separate layers, like moving a heavy bookshelf onto modular shelves to make them easier to stack. Jacob sees this approach as aligned with the ideals of the “adaptable network” he once championed.
On the other hand, he understands the reluctance of some in the community to trust new technology. To that end, he often appears at online conferences, simplifying the concept of “blobstream” as an analogy to package delivery: if the address is clearly written, the courier doesn’t have to knock on your neighbor’s door.
He also advocates funding open-source projects through a grant model, similar to the method he used when he helped create Tezblock—a data dashboard that allows voters to see draft proposals before hitting “Yes” or “No.”
Still, Jacob doesn’t deny that there are still loopholes here and there. “Traditional protocols have been around for a long time, but people have been able to improve them little by little—so why can’t blockchain?” he asks rhetorically, raising an eyebrow, drawing chuckles from the audience.
Why Blockchain Needs More Than Just Code to Keep Moving
At first glance, his career path seems smooth. In fact, he has received harsh criticism for the “layered complexity” that discourages newcomers from voting. On the other hand, Jacob considers the challenge to be natural; didn’t learning to ride a bike leave you with a few scrapes on your knees? He now pushes for a voting interface design that is “no less friendly than an instant messaging app.”
Ultimately, Arluck’s story shows that blockchain progress is not just about transaction throughput or smart contract execution speed. Without sensitive leadership—able to weave theory, practice, and a dose of humor—the road to innovation can become as congested as a highway emergency lane during a long holiday.
Moreover, his efforts to combine liquid democracy, flexible staking models, and a modular vision drive home one point: innovation doesn’t have to cut ties with the past.
Out there, coin prices are certainly on a roller coaster ride. But Jacob Arluck’s story—from the train platform to the Celestia boardroom—reminds us that it’s the people behind the protocol who really keep the train on the tracks. Without them, “blocks” are just numbers; with them, blockchains are highways that can be widened at any time, without having to wait for government infrastructure season.
