A potent exploration of the power of blockchains to reshape the future of the internet—and how that affects us all—from influential technology entrepreneur and startup investor Chris Dixon
The internet of today is a far cry from its early promise of a decentralized, democratic network of innovation, connection, and freedom. In the past decade, it has fallen almost entirely under the control of a very small group of companies like Apple, Google, and Facebook. In Read Write Own, tech visionary Chris Dixon argues that the dream of an open network for fostering creativity and entrepreneurship doesn’t have to die and can, in fact, be saved with blockchain networks. He separates this movement, which aims to provide a solid foundation for everything from social networks to artificial intelligence to virtual worlds, from cryptocurrency speculation —a distinction he calls “the computer vs. the casino.”
With lucid and compelling prose— drawing from a …
A potent exploration of the power of blockchains to reshape the future of the internet—and how that affects us all—from influential technology entrepreneur and startup investor Chris Dixon
The internet of today is a far cry from its early promise of a decentralized, democratic network of innovation, connection, and freedom. In the past decade, it has fallen almost entirely under the control of a very small group of companies like Apple, Google, and Facebook. In Read Write Own, tech visionary Chris Dixon argues that the dream of an open network for fostering creativity and entrepreneurship doesn’t have to die and can, in fact, be saved with blockchain networks. He separates this movement, which aims to provide a solid foundation for everything from social networks to artificial intelligence to virtual worlds, from cryptocurrency speculation —a distinction he calls “the computer vs. the casino.”
With lucid and compelling prose— drawing from a 25-year career in the software industry—Dixon shows how the internet has undergone three distinct eras, bringing us to the critical moment we’re in today. The first was the “read” era, in which early networks democratized information. In the “read-write” era, corporate networks democratized publishing. We are now in the midst of the “read-write-own” era, sometimes called web3, in which blockchain networks are granting power and economic benefits to communities of users, not just corporations.
Read Write Own is a must-read for anyone—internet users, business leaders, creators, entrepreneurs—who wants to understand where we’ve been and where we’re going. It
Crypto-hopeful-but-skeptical.. but now more hopeful and less skeptical
4 stars
I thought this was a very solid book. I'd recommend giving it a read for the crypto skeptical. I had my own understanding of crypto which was pretty well validated.. but it did serve to educate me on some recent developments in that space (like ethereum's proof-of-stake migration). My broader notes on the book are here: notes.justin.abrah.ms/posts/20240822233107-read_write_own and my views on crypto before reading the book are here: justin.abrah.ms/2022-01-27-my-thoughts-on-crypto.html
As the author is a general partner at a16z, who invests in all manner of crypto companies, I expected a hell of a lot more from the author in making a case for blockchain. But sadly it was a very weak and limp book that didn’t really have much to say. Other than the author’s insane hatred for RSS — why all the anger for a web feed? 🤷♂️
Here’s one of my gripes with this book (out of many): Chris states that the “unique properties of blockchains unlock a range of applications that simply can't be created on traditional computers.” But never provides a single solid example of what blockchains can do that we can’t already do with current “traditional” tech.
Another gripe: I found it disingenuous that Chris doesn’t plainly disclose his affiliation upfront with the crypto companies …
A book that could have been a small blog post.
As the author is a general partner at a16z, who invests in all manner of crypto companies, I expected a hell of a lot more from the author in making a case for blockchain. But sadly it was a very weak and limp book that didn’t really have much to say. Other than the author’s insane hatred for RSS — why all the anger for a web feed? 🤷♂️
Here’s one of my gripes with this book (out of many): Chris states that the “unique properties of blockchains unlock a range of applications that simply can't be created on traditional computers.” But never provides a single solid example of what blockchains can do that we can’t already do with current “traditional” tech.
Another gripe: I found it disingenuous that Chris doesn’t plainly disclose his affiliation upfront with the crypto companies he mentions throughout the book (such as Helium, Compound, Dapper Labs, and Maker — all of them a16z backed)…unless you go alll the way to the second-last page of the book to read that note.
The one positive: Chris does a good job of highlighting the dreadful consolidation of power and control of the Internet juggernauts (Meta, Google, Amazon, etc.).
