Web3, the History of Decentralization, and How to Succeed in the Creator Economy with Jonathan Hillis

Jonathan Hillis is the founder of Creator Cabins. It began as a single cabin in the Texas Hill Country, a place for creators to gather together to work on exciting projects 'IRL'. They've since launched a token and formed the Cabin DAO and now they're expanding into a decentralized city.  

Prior to founding $CABIN, Jon was Director of Product, Shoppers, and Marketplace at Instacart, where during the pandemic, he grew their workforce of shoppers 5x.

Jon also recently published an excellent essay on the history of centralization and decentralization cycles in Western Civilization.

We cover all of that and more in this episode. Enjoy!

In this episode we discuss:

Decentralization and centralization cycles throughout history

Are we headed for collapse? Civil war? What about America vs China?

What role will decentralized cities play in the future

Creating a playbook for future decentralized cities / nodes 

Opportunities for blockchain / innovation in government

Why are all the "internet intellectuals" moving to Austin, Texas?

How the gig economy helped pave the way for Web3

Is remote work a disadvantage for young people starting out in their careers?

What people and companies get wrong about 'hybrid' (office/remote) work

Why Jon left Instacart (after growing their gig work force 5x)

Promises and perils of working in the gig economy

Is it fair to criticize Web3 for not living up to it's decentralization ideals?

How to make it as a creator - what are the most relevant skillsets / experience to have today?

Six ways to make $100,000 as a creator on the internet these days

Overcoming the "ickyness" of sharing your life and work on social media

How to succeed by finding community / "your corner of the internet"

 

Links:

Jon's essay: A brief history of decentralized cities and centralized states (https://creators.mirror.xyz/s9h4_PQAcJyqgC0rnsWjw9geU2wJs-IBPXIzHhgi-P8)

Jon's essay: Six economies of online creators (https://www.meatspacealgorithms.com/six-economies/)

Clay Christensen's theory of Disruptive Innovation (https://hbr.org/1995/01/disruptive-technologies-catching-the-wave)

The Nature of the Firm by R. H. Coase (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-0335.1937.tb00002.x)

My first impressions of web3 by Moxie Marlinspike (https://moxie.org/2022/01/07/web3-first-impressions.html)