Baz
I'm a technology professional based in London. After a brief stint in finance, I spent a few years in web2 as a software engineer, product manager and founder. In late 2020 I wrote about my journey here.
My core investment hypothesis is that web3 will disrupt[1] web2.
Depending on your background, this is either a hot take or a lukewarm take - or perhaps you're not sure what I mean. Read on:
Why web3 is so exciting
While I have a neutral outlook on cryptocurrency valuations[2][3], I'm bullish on the value created by Turing-complete, decentralised computers such as the Ethereum Virtual Machine[4].
As individuals using mobile phones and the internet, you and I can only see the thin, top layer of a stack of digital information technologies - whether that's your Instagram news feed, your Fortnite lobby or your mobile banking app.
If we go a few layers deep into the stack and redesign underlying technologies to be more decentralised, we may (may!) achieve a system that is more:
- Secure
- Interoperable
- And therefore, convenient.
You can see my latest experiments with the web3 stack and dApp development here.
On a side note I'm bearish about the capacity of decentralised technology to displace the tech giants[5]. I also think the sooner we move to proof-of-stake, the better. Block mining is terrible for the environment and proof-of-work also advantages the rich. Microchips cost money, people!
Anyway, there's a lot of work to do but this could transform:
- How we work and organise ourselves (DAOs)
- How we exchange value (Cryptocurrencies)
- How we balance risk and reward (DeFi)
- How we use digital assets to establish and judge social attributes (NFTs and the Metaverse)
- How we manage our digital identity and verify others' claims (SSI)
- And probably more. This is all happening pretty fast and I haven't spotted everything.
I can't stress this enough. Cryptocurrency valuations are entertaining, but they are just the fuel for a future internet. The future internet is the exciting bit. Speculating about cryptoassets is a bit like speculating about oil in the late 1800s - sure, the asset may be worth something one day, but wouldn't it be more interesting to design the first automobile?
Happy to get coffee if you'd like a chat - reach out on LinkedIn.