At a Glance
- Lens Protocol moves from Aave stewardship to Mask Network.
- Aave will stay as a technical adviser, focusing on DeFi.
- Mask Network will lead product development and user experience for Lens-based apps.
Why it matters: The shift signals a new focus for Lens on consumer-facing social products, while Aave tightens its DeFi portfolio.
Lens Protocol, a Web3-native social layer, has long been positioned as infrastructure. In 2022, Aave launched Lens to give users on-chain ownership of identities and content. The recent handover to Mask Network marks a pivot toward building consumer apps on the platform.
Transition Overview
On Tuesday, Aave founder Stani Kulechov announced the change on X. He said Aave’s role will narrow to providing technical advisory support as the company refocuses on DeFi. Mask Network, a Web3 company that integrates blockchain features into social and messaging platforms, will take the lead on the next phase of Lens development, especially at the application and product layer.
The announcement framed the move as a change in “stewardship,” not an acquisition or exit from social infrastructure. {brand} reached out to Lens for more information, but had not received a response by publication.
Roles and Responsibilities
Under the new arrangement, Mask Network assumes responsibility for consumer-facing execution, including:
- Product roadmap decisions
- User experience design
- Day-to-day operational leadership for social applications built on Lens
This includes advancing apps such as Orb and shaping how Lens-based products are positioned and distributed to end users. Lens and Aave confirmed that the protocol’s underlying components-its on-chain social graph, profiles, follows, and smart contracts-will remain open-source and permissionless. No transfer of protocol ownership, intellectual property, treasuries, or governance control was indicated.
Aave will continue to act as a technical adviser, offering input on protocol-level decisions without leading product development. The move narrows Aave’s role from building and operating social products to maintaining its social infrastructure.
Responsibility Table
| Entity | Core Focus | Key Activities |
|---|---|---|
| Mask Network | Consumer-facing execution | Product roadmap, UX design, daily ops |
| Aave | Technical advisory support | Protocol-level input, infrastructure upkeep |
| Lens Protocol | Open-source social infrastructure | On-chain graph, profiles, follows, contracts |
Historical Context
From its earliest days, Lens Protocol was framed as infrastructure. In 2022, Aave launched Lens as a Web3-native social protocol designed to give users ownership over their social identities and content through on-chain profiles and NFTs. That positioning was reinforced in later updates. In 2023, Kulechov said Lens Protocol was not intended to function as a front-end platform but as a shared social layer that allows applications, both Web3 and Web2, to connect to a common social graph and user base.
At the time, Kulechov told {brand} that Lens’ shared audience could help developers overcome the “cold start” problem faced by new social platforms, while allowing multiple apps to coexist without competing for locked-in users.
Timeline of Key Events
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Aave launches Lens Protocol as an open-source social layer |
| 2023 | Kulechov emphasizes Lens as a shared social infrastructure |
| Tuesday | Aave announces stewardship handover to Mask Network |
| 2026 | Vitalik Buterin notes use of Firefly for decentralized social platforms |
Industry Reactions
Following the stewardship transition, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin praised Lens’ evolution. In a post published on Wednesday, he said the Aave team “has done a great job stewarding Lens up to this point” and that he is “excited about what will happen to Lens over the next year.” Buterin also commented on decentralized social platforms, arguing that competition enabled by shared data layers is critical to improving online discourse.
In his post, Buterin wrote: “if we want a better society, we need better mass communication tools.” He added that decentralization enables this by allowing “a shared data layer, with anyone being able to build their own client on top.” He noted that he has already returned to decentralized social platforms in 2026, mentioning that every post he has made or read that year has been through Firefly, a multi-client that supports Lens, Farcaster, X and Bluesky.
Key Takeaways
- Lens Protocol’s stewardship shift to Mask Network marks a strategic focus on consumer-facing social applications.
- Aave will remain a technical adviser, narrowing its scope to DeFi.
- The transition preserves Lens’s open-source infrastructure and permissionless nature.
- Industry leaders, including Vitalik Buterin, view the move as a positive step toward decentralized social platforms.
Source: Stani Kulechov