There’s a broader lesson to learn from that about the products that we offer to the world in tech: Many people think that their products are very utilitarian. But I’d argue that a lot of products that people build are actually entertainment-based products.
The website may be free of advertisements, but that hasn't stopped entities from trying to exercise influence. Spammers, public relations companies, and those who can gain from crafting a public perception have turned their sights to Wikipedia. Thomas Friedman noted in his book: "it is not an accident that IBM today has a senior staffer who polices... See more
Some might ask: “Why not just buy a normal subscription to the NYT and also get some stock?” It’s a fair point, and the short answer is that this model is even more powerful for smaller media companies that aren’t public yet and have no existing way to allow early subscribers to benefit from future growth. The long answer is that tokenization of th... See more
If we do care about privacy as a collective value, then it cannot be an individual burden. Right now, privacy is essentially a luxury good. If you can afford not to use coupons, you don’t have to let retailers track your shopping habits with loyalty points. If you’re technically savvy, you don’t have to let Gmail see all your emails.