ChainThink report, December 24: According to Cointelegraph, Aave founder Stani Kulechov has come under scrutiny for recently acquiring $10 million worth of AAVE tokens, with some members of the crypto community suspecting the move was intended to increase his voting power in a critical governance proposal.

DeFi strategist and liquidity expert Robert Mullins posted that the purchase aims to boost Kulechov’s voting influence to support a proposal that directly undermines the best interests of token holders. He added, “This is a clear example illustrating that the token mechanism was not sufficiently designed to effectively deter governance attacks.”

Prominent crypto influencer Sisyphus also voiced similar concerns, noting that Kulechov may have sold millions of dollars’ worth of AAVE tokens between 2021 and 2025, casting doubt on the economic rationale behind his recent repurchase.

This controversy unfolds as Aave token holders debate how governance rights should be exercised within one of the leading DeFi protocols. Critics argue that large-scale token acquisitions could materially influence vote outcomes on high-risk governance proposals.