The next kind of influence will come from those who create genuine connections and clarity.

We just don’t yet have the right words for them.

At the same time, it’s clear that many tech founders now act like creators, audience-builders. They’ve learned that the story is part of the product. They build in public and narrate as they go. They’re growing their own channels instead of relying on traditional media to tell their story, creating a direct conversation with the people who care... See more

If you squint, you can see what’s possible. People like Dr. Becky can not only grow their own audiences and businesses; they can also start launching other founders, linking their communities with theirs, sharing attention, tools, and network value. Adjacent experts—in Dr Becky’s case, educators, therapists, coaches—can each begin to own a piece of... See more

More than a century ago, Maria Montessori began with a single classroom and the idea that children learn best when they are self-directed and given the right environment. She built a method others could use and adapt. It grew into a network of teachers, schools, and families connected by shared principles. Her ideas spread through workshops, books,... See more

The founders of this future are already here. Many are getting started through Discord, Slack, group chats, podcasts, newsletters, membership programs, courses, and running events. What they need now is validation, shared norms, and better infrastructure to build beyond themselves.

They’ll be decentralized networks, linked with partners and other founders, built for conversation and participation instead of hierarchy and control. The founders will no longer stand apart from the audience; the two will begin to merge into a single system

We know ideas can scale through methodology, trust, and participation. We’re seeing echoes of that now, and with a lot more opportunity: technology makes it possible for anyone to build communities and systems around what they know. For the past twenty years, we’ve lived in an age of personality and celebrity on social media. But that’s starting to... See more

They need help managing their private-domain communities and connecting their ideas across a network of partners and other founders. They need capital that rewards credibility, not follower count. They need tools that automate the repetitive parts of their work, and peers who can share what they’re learning in real time. They need advisors who... See more

A creator becomes a founder, then a network, then an institution.