Tezos is an open-source Proof of Stake (PoS) blockchain network that supports peer-to-peer transactions between network participants and smart contracts. It was a pioneer of the decentralized governance model, which is now the preferred governance model in the blockchain industry. Tezos' mainnet launched in September 2018 following a record-breaking $228 million initial coin offering (ICO). Tezos, also known as the "self-amending" blockchain, allows users to take on prominent roles in its governance system. At the same time, the network has established a more eco-friendly method of achieving network-wide consensus when validating transactions and implementing governance-related activities. Change proposals can be made by any network participant who stakes (also known as "bake" in the Tezos ecosystem) a minimum of 6,000 XTZ tokens in a smart contract, which is then voted on by the community's "bakers". Each proposal is subjected to three rounds of voting before being tested for safety on a test network. If the proposal passes the test and still has a majority vote at the end of the voting period, it is added to the main network. The idea behind this governance system was that it would allow the network to operate in a more decentralized manner than typical blockchain networks by requiring important change decisions to be voted on by network participants before being implemented. Furthermore, such a governance system may reduce the likelihood of a blockchain being forked.