With nearly $150m worth of the cryptocurrency ether raised to date, the unusual organization has inspired both passionate supporters and skeptics.

In the past week, numerous headlines and op-eds have emerged on the subject of The DAO, (distributed autonomous organization) with everyone from bloggers to social media outlets to major media publications weighing in. Opinions ranged from unblemished support to critical takes on the big questions surrounding the project.

Overall, supporters of the project say The DAO ushers in a new mechanism for funding projects and individuals that might otherwise be ignored by the venture capital ecosystem. Further, they say it represents a radical method for reshaping the digital economy, while providing a powerful example of Ethereum's technology in action.