Mike Masnick wrote the paper that helped inspire Bluesky and now he sits on the Bluesky board.A long-time advocate of decentralised tech, Mike's paper 'Protocols not platforms' outlined how a more open protocol-based system to social media would create a healthier social media ecosystem in which people were free to vote with their feet (or their mouse) and go elsewhere, without losing access to the community they'd built.In this wide ranging conversation, Mike and I discuss the future of social media, the internet's trajectory from an open to a closed ecosystem, whether decentralisation can be a winning strategy in a capitalist economy, and much more.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Mike Masnick and Tech Perspectives05:53 The Evolution of TechDirt and Innovation11:03 Understanding Free Speech in the Digital Age15:53 Protocols vs. Platforms: A New Approach to Free Speech20:50 The Shift from Protocol-Centric to Platform-Centric Internet28:48 The Evolution of Patents and Competition31:10 Understanding the Problems with Big Tech32:23 Moving Towards Decentralization33:23 The Role of Decentralized Protocols35:11 Generative AI: Empowerment vs. Control37:55 Building Personalized Tools for Empowerment41:35 Decentralization in Social Media: Blue Sky Explained49:12 The Future of Decentralized Systems53:04 Mainstream Adoption of Decentralized TechnologiesLinksProtocols not platformsBlueskyGet in touchInstagram⁠https://www.theuncommonfounder.com

seb@theuncommonfounder.com⁠

Alex Komoroske is one of the smartest voices out there talking about better forms of technology right now.

He spent a long chapter of his career at the likes of Google and Stripe and is now the Founder and CEO of Common Tools, working on enabling decentralised technology.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction to Alex Komoroske's Perspective on Tech03:39 The Hacker Ethic and Disillusionment in Tech06:31 The Slide into Cynicism: A Cultural Shift in Tech09:12 Emergence and Coordination Complexity in Organizations11:40 Slime Molds: A Metaphor for Organizational Dynamics14:24 The Future of Incumbent Organizations17:24 The Same Origin Policy and Its Consequences20:06 Resonance vs. Hollowness in Technology22:50 The Resonant Computing Manifesto25:09 The Role of LLMs in Shaping the Future32:07 Unlocking the Power of LLMs35:40 The Role of Privacy in Resonant Computing37:09 Organizational Structures for Resonance42:24 The Importance of a Resonant Privacy Model46:38 Emergence and Resonance in Technology53:55 A Vision for the Future of Technology

Links:

Resonant computing manifesto

Alex’s website

Slime molds deck

Alex’s ‘bits and bobs’ document

The Same Origin Paradigm

Get in touchInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/humansinthelooppodEmail: seb@theuncommonfounder.comPersonal website: https://www.theuncommonfounder.com

How to describe Kevin Kelly?

• Founder of Wired Magazine.
• Writer of industry defining essays like '1000 true fans' - https://kk.org/thetechnium/1000-true-fans/
• Co-chair of The Long Now Foundation encouraging people to think on civilisational timescales
• Passionate traveller and photographer whose travelled remote parts of Asia for the last 50 years - https://kevin2kelly.myshopify.com/products/colors-of-asia-a-visual-journey
• The subject of the brilliant term, coined by Brie Wolfson - Flounder Mode https://joincolossus.com/article/flounder-mode/
• And a dream podcast guest

Kevin is known for many things, not least his optimism, but Kevin's flavour of optimism is what we calls 'protopian not utopian' - an acknowledgement that new technology creates major new problems but that over time we find ways to solve them

Chapters

00:00 The Hollywood Approach to Career Paths

05:20 Pursuing Interesting Projects

07:46 Influence and Unique Contributions

10:38 Radical Optimism Explained

13:38 The Choice of Optimism

16:28 The Reality of Progress

19:05 Wrestling with Counter Narratives

21:54 Building Better Technology

28:18 Navigating Technology's Strengths and Weaknesses

30:54 The Ethics of Technology Creation

33:14 The Role of Corporations in Technology

36:04 The Necessity of Innovation in Addressing Problems

42:14 Long-Term Thinking and the Long Now Foundation

47:55 Envisioning a Desirable Future

53:11 Celebrating Cultural Heritage Through Photography

Get in touch

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/humansinthelooppod

Email: seb@theuncommonfounder.com

Personal website: https://www.theuncommonfounder.com