Slow and Steady Wins the Race

The current societal pace of software is frenetic. 

Money, hype cycles and impatience dominate the discourse creating false narratives and zero sum outcomes for everyone (or at least most people — the winners tend to be in the minority). And on top of this already poor prognosis, each party differs drastically in its incentives. 

Software investors pine for illegal monopolies and comedically large returns, even if they won’t admit it out loud. 

Software founders pine for get-rich-quick schemes and immortal fame through an easy flip, even if they won’t admit it out loud. 

Software developers pine for obtuse technology that satisfies their idiosyncratic curiosities at the cost of reason, even if they won’t admit it out loud. 

Software users pine for WALL-E levels of convenience at the cost of their dignity, even if they won’t admit it out loud. 

Everyone wants something different, and while true alignment is utopian and likely unobtainable, there is much room for improvement in reality.

(NB: as a thought experiment, what do you think these parties would say out loud to each other? I think the one thing all groups agree on might be for social validation from each other, given the Internet’s domination of ad supported social media platforms that run off likes and virality. Anyway;)

How might we improve? Here’s what I think.

Roughly one week since launching the beta, I’ve onboarded five people onto Your Commonbase. Each set up was “manual” and the set up itself took an average of 20 mins on a 1:1 call, but most talks went much longer to wax poetic about life and personal library science. 

I think these conversations are important. Not only do they help align incentives, they are phenomenal teaching tools. In this early version of YCB, I want to establish a human relationship with you all, Dunbar’s number be damned. I want to have these calls as long as it is reasonable.

Software isn’t a static object, it’s a conversation. So let’s talk!

I’m sending out the next batch of invites (5-10) today or tomorrow. 

Best,

Bram