When Co-ops Meet DAOs: An Interview with Nathan Schneider

Everyone who’s been around cooperatives for a long time says that we are in an explosive moment and the interest in this model is very high. But the barriers are also very high, as the online co-op structures that people are trying to create are not yet supported by the economy and the legal frameworks. We are in the process of trying to build the ... See more

We also need to be aware — and this has been recognized in the blockchain space — that just because an organization is decentralized, it doesn’t mean the problems go away. It just means you have a different framework for addressing those problems.

Another example of a contemporary cooperative is Associated Press. Because it’s a cooperative owned by members of various news organizations, it is very much invested in supporting small news outlets because of its membership model. Nobody accuses AP of spreading “fake news” — its cooperative incentive structure results in factual, reliable informa... See more

As we build new kinds of organizations, we also need to dispense with the illusion that we’re departing entirely from the past: just because we’re dealing with crypto ledgers doesn’t mean we don’t need to have institutions anymore or that humans don’t have to trust each other anymore. I think that evidence is very strong from our experience that wh... See more