#11 - I AM WHAT I BUILD

ISSUE #11

RANDOM QUOTES

I start by quoting three random quotes that find a connection in my head when thinking through the Peoples' Impact venture.

• Gall’s Law states that ‘all complex systems that work evolved from simpler systems that worked and that a complex system designed from scratch never works. Next time you tackle a complex project: try to defer decisions, learn along the way, and trust in iteration. (Dense Discovery)

• Never forget, the electric car is here to save the car industry, not the planet. (Tweet)

• To refuse to participate in the shaping of our future is to give it up. Do not be misled into passivity either by false security (they don’t mean me) or by despair (there’s nothing we can do). Each of us must find our work and do it. (– Audre Lorde )

APPLIED WISDOM

The complexity of the PI Platform is essentially non-technical. It is not about code, protocols, or AI-powered/gamified solutions. Human psychology is the most complex issue of the platform. Specifically, human psychology that that blocks inexperienced, high-stress people from being productive on the platform. We need them to step up to the plate while we understand (at least we think we do) those factors that say: "better not go to the plate, man, because you can fail and people will laugh at your dumb ass".

You cannot empower people if they are too afraid to be empowered. So if we apply Gall's Law to human psychology, which simpler systems do we need to use to make people reframe the challenge? Maybe you (we) should not be trying to solve issues from behind a computer, but just go out and trust in iteration. Well, that is why we are building the PI Platform as a reconnaissance mission - learning from harsh realities.

The most realistic way of changing realities is to acknowledge that any long-term commitment to a social cause needs to be rooted in some form of self-interest. You cannot ask people to sacrifice self-interest for an extended time. So the electric car saves the car industry and a more sustainable car industry helps to save the planet. New technology ignites different consumer demands. Changing the world is essentially changing the incentives through technology and smart solutions that build things of value. Finding different incentives is the key to social change.

Most people blame crooked politicians for the fact that reality does not meet their expectations. Most politicians are not helpful but they are not the key problem. We need to activate the masses. That is why we strive to create a dynamic in which large groups of people start building (small) things of value. We want a nation of builders. We want talent pools at every level of society. We want changemakers as the most influential group in society. We want to transform peer-to-peer dynamics into self-propelling viral systems that drive perpetual loops of progress. And because we want it, we build it.

So what is the work that you do? What things of value are you building? We should define peoples' identities on the things they build; their desire to get smarter, their desire to collaborate, and their commitment to compete fairly - preferably on a level playing field.

I am a builder who wants to get smarter every day collaborating to build things of value that encourage others to start building with us.

THE END