On November 1st, members of the Ethereum Foundation established Argot Collective, a research and development group of non-profit and democratic organizations, which will focus on maintaining Ethereum-related software. The group's founding members are made up of about 25 current Ethereum Foundation employees, and the project will initially focus on smart contracts and verification services. Its governance structure is based on the framework implemented by the Enspiral Foundation and will operate in a fully democratic manner, with a high degree of autonomy from members.