A DAO is a group (a community, an investment club, a protocol) whose membership, voting rules, and treasury are encoded in smart contracts on a blockchain. Members vote on proposals on-chain; the contract executes the result. DAOs are how Web3 communities self-govern without a single CEO holding the bank.
Web3 & crypto basics
DAO
A Decentralized Autonomous Organization; a group whose rules and treasury live in smart contracts.