The Ownership Crisis

The economy has been all about scale over the past fifty years. But we’re about to think about scale and ownership very differently. The next great organizations won’t be the ones with the shiniest bells and whistles. They’ll be the ones that share equitable ownership based on a wider set of values. Collective ownership is a next step towards a mor... See more

This hardening will reveal the root problem. Despite many people contributing to the tools and services that now dominate our lives, most people have no stake in them. To cite just one example, the four million people who drive for Uber probably own less of the company combined than a single dentist in New Jersey with Vanguard in their portfolio.

Ownership is inaccessible to most people. It’s either bought (through stocks/investments), created (starting something of your own), inherited (born lucky), or earned (employment-based equity). None of which are easy to attain. Few families have extra income to invest. Starting a business is harder than ever (entrepreneurship rates in the US are ha... See more

Half-baked theory: In the future there will be 100 companies, 10,000 countries, and 10,000,000 co-ops.

The four million people who drive for Uber probably own less of the company combined than a single dentist in New Jersey with Vanguard in their portfolio.

Ampled is a Patreon-like subscription service for musicians structured as a co-op. As a co-op, Ampled is completely owned and controlled by the musicians who use it and the workers who built it. Ampled is initially funded through debt instruments that give investors zero equity and that cap financial returns at 3x their investment

Collective ownership can take a number of forms: unions, Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs), and stock options are all related. But the most important means of collective ownership will be the resurgence of an old model: the co-op.