Tezos is a decentralized blockchain platform that can change itself through on-chain governance. The Tezos protocol is capable of updating itself without requiring a hard fork. The Tezos blockchain also utilizes smart contracts and allows creation of decentralized applications (Dapps) on top of it. The native cryptocurrency of the Tezos platform is the XTZ token. Tezos launched their ICO on July 14, 2017 and raised $232 million, making it one of the best-funded crypto and blockchain projects at the time. However, the early stages of the project were plagued with controversy, with the project’s founders Arthur and Kathleen Breitman having a serious dispute with the Tezos Foundation, a Switzerland-based non profit organization that controlled the funds raised during the ICO. The dispute came to an end after Johann Gevers stepped down as president of the Tezos Foundation, and the Tezos mainnet was eventually launched in September of 2018.