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Network Engineering SPE II

Status
In progress
Health
On trackas of October 6, 2026
Owner
Network Engineering SPE
Target
Q4 2026
Workstream
Network
Outcome
Building on, operating, delegating to and validating the Livepeer network gets easier, with one owner and one outcome per track by year end.
Funding
Livepeer Treasury: 177,500 LPT ($230,000 USD)
Lead
Rich O'Grady
Contributors
Links
Last updated
October 12, 2026

Activity

  1. Mehrdad Sadeghi posted an update, on trackOct 6

    Running budget and milestone trackers for all four tracks are now public, alongside the September track updates.

    Read the full update on forum.livepeer.org
  2. Elliott Conway posted an update, on trackOct 6

    Delegator track's first month closed 63% of Milestone 1 through Explorer bug fixes, old-PR cleanup and delegation-funnel instrumentation.

    Read the full update on forum.livepeer.org
  3. Shane Burgett posted an update, on trackOct 5

    Validator track's first milestone is complete: a reviewed research baseline for testing Livepeer 2.0's economic protections, with modelling next.

    Read the full update on forum.livepeer.org
  4. Josh Allmann posted an update, on trackOct 5

    Operate track built first versions of Livepeer Node, Clearinghouse Batteries and an end-to-end test runner; reliability and observability work starts in October.

    Read the full update on forum.livepeer.org
  5. Mike Zupper posted an update, on trackOct 1

    Build track's architecture and delivery plan approved, closing Milestone 1; foundations and integration contracts are next, due 16 October.

    Read the full update on forum.livepeer.org
  6. Network Engineering SPE committed to itSep 13

1. Purpose

The second round of the Network Engineering SPE funds the work that makes the Livepeer network easier to take part in, for builders, orchestrators, delegators and, with Livepeer 2.0, validators. It keeps the pilot's mission and changes its shape. The pilot had no outcomes set at the start, one technical reviewer as a bottleneck and weak accountability. This round has four tracks, each with one named owner, one outcome to reach by 31 December and a budget that owner allocates.

2. Outcome

Each track has one outcome to reach by 31 December 2026:

  • Easy to build (Mike Zupper): a developer can go from a clean machine to a working, paid call on the Livepeer stack using only the published documentation, paying from a crypto wallet or through a third-party service for anyone who doesn't want to hold one.
  • Easy to operate (Josh Allmann): a network substrate that connects demand to supply end to end, takes new capabilities without a new integration stack each time, has the observability to diagnose issues, and makes every capability discoverable with clear pricing.
  • Easy to delegate (Elliott Conway): self-custody delegation that is clear, competitive and economically informed for Livepeer 2.0, measured by funnel conversion and ultimately delegation volume.
  • Easy to validate (Shane Burgett): self-dealing and gaming of Livepeer's tokenomics made expensive and untenable through economic levers, network data and validators, with real testing begun on validating the work itself. This track's shape will follow the final shape of Livepeer 2.0.

3. How it runs

  • Rick Staa chairs a committee of the four track owners, which sets outcomes, reviews milestones and decides allocations.
  • Foundation Operations runs programme management, payments and reporting, and releases funds only once a milestone's definition of done is verified.
  • Owners pick the funding mechanism per task: RFPs, direct, retroactive or scoping grants, bounties or fixed contracts.
  • Each track posts a monthly update on the forum, and the round closes with a retro and community session by 20 December, with a continue, change owner or stop call for each track.
  • Out of scope: the agent framework, demand generation and protocol design, which are funded or decided elsewhere.