Engineering on what would become the Shoptype platform began in earnest in January 2020, just as the pandemic changed everything, and people began getting used to living a wholly different way. There was a lot more indoor time, along with a lot more time spent online, via zoom calls and such.
There were lockdowns outside, but we were plugged into each other from across the world, Bangalore, New Delhi, San Mateo, Atlanta, Toronto, Vancouver, and London. We saw the accelerated birth of a new age, not just hyper-digital but entirely virtual. Work from home was about to become a real thing, and the Great Resignation was going to go into full effect around the world. There would be the conversation around “quiet quitting”.
In this new world, a new economy was needed, far more inclusive than anything ever constructed. This is what we would stand for, we were creating a new fair, and transparent world, one that embodied radical inclusivity. We would make the Internet work for all people from all over the world, with particular emphasis on the bottom half of the world’s population.
The design of our new Internet Protocols that would underlie this global economy was directly influenced by my own awakening to reality, and it made the foundation incredible strong. The clarity granted me through that process was why we were able to model this new world in a natural manner. We were able to reflect the natural intelligence of humanity in bringing together communities, whose members cooperated with each other to achieve goals, one that would use Interdependence as a core pillar. This would guarantee a more powerful outcome than simplistic individual independence and excellence.
And with Interdependence comes Fertility, a lot of opportunities for everyone playing this new game. When we change the rules of the game, and we make it so you win when you help others win, the tree takes up the characteristics a banyan tree, not a regular tree, and becomes a forest.
This also means self-starting in order to co-create these opportunities for others and oneself. This means being a "co-entrepreneur" with us, in order to drive more value for more people every day. There is no waiting for others to do this, there is only the action of co-creating alongside and with everyone else. But it starts with each of us, and it is evident in action and results, and there are no excuses about this, and analysis and reporting on this is not needed when everything is on the same transparent ledger as everything else. So the value of taking the initiative is incredibly important.
Finally, in the spirit of embracing the new, we also decided to be the first company in the world to formally put their HQ in the metaverse.
PS - Read the whole book at Beyond All Clouds.
