Web3 Workers Rights, Exit to Community, and Solidarity Primitives
Dec 3, 2023
auto_awesome
In this episode, Tara Merk, a scholar focusing on Exit to Community (E2C), discusses the potential of E2C as an alternative to IPOs or buyouts. The podcast explores the regulatory landscape for community ownership, whether web3 workers should unionize, and the current state of working in web3. Tara also talks about her research on Solidarity Primitives for web3 social security and proposes mechanisms for improving working conditions in the crypto space. This episode offers insightful perspectives on community ownership and worker rights in the blockchain industry.
Exit to Community offers an alternative to traditional buyouts or IPOs by giving ownership to those who work on or use the product.
Implementing Exit to Community in Web3 requires building healthy norms and plugging into state-based health and security services.
Web3 and crypto provide unique opportunities for Exit to Community, including decentralized norms, smart contracts, and self-sustaining systems like solidarity primitives.
Deep dives
Exit to Community: Transitioning Founder and Investor-led Startups into Community-Owned and Governed Entities
Exit to Community is a research topic that explores the transition of founder and investor-led startups into community-owned and governed organizations. The concept involves relinquishing ownership and control of the project to stakeholders who are connected to the product or platform and have an emotional bond with each other. The goal is to maintain the purpose and stewardship of the organization while preventing it from being sold or swallowed up by big corporations. This approach can provide an alternative to the traditional options of selling to a bigger player or going public, allowing ownership to be given to those who use and care about the product.
Challenges and Strategies in Implementing Exit to Community in Web3
Implementing Exit to Community in the Web3 space comes with its own set of challenges and strategies. One challenge is building healthy norms within the ecosystem to prevent burnout and promote better working conditions. This involves creating norms such as designated non-working days or regular check-ins with contributors to ensure their well-being. Another challenge is plugging into state-based or other health and security services to provide access to healthcare and benefits for contributors. This can be achieved through intermediaries or interfaces that streamline the bureaucracy and make access to services easier. Additionally, the development of Web3-native security funds and grants can provide a safety net for contributors and address issues such as sick leave, mental health, parental leave, and unemployment. Standardizing contributor agreements and finding ways to enshrine them off-chain and on-chain can also help provide clarity and protection for contributors.
Web3 and Crypto as Enablers for Exit to Community
The Web3 space and crypto offer unique opportunities for the implementation of Exit to Community. The social norms within the Web3 community already prioritize decentralization, making the concept of community ownership and governance more acceptable. Additionally, the use of smart contracts and tokens can facilitate the separation of economic ownership and political power, allowing for more equitable control of projects. The blockchain technology also enables the creation of self-sustaining systems, such as solidarity primitives, that provide social protection and benefits for contributors. By leveraging these technologies and embracing a more radical approach to solidarity and community ownership, Web3 can build alternative models that compete with traditional platforms and create long-term sustainable solutions for workers.
Building Purpose-Driven Organizations through New Entity Forms
The podcast episode discusses the concept of purpose-driven organizations and explores new entity forms that can help maintain the purpose of an organization even through transitions. Examples of new entity forms include perpetual purpose trusts and DAOs. The episode highlights the importance of relinquishing control and protecting the original purpose of an organization as it grows and evolves. Different approaches, such as social norms, legal frameworks, protocol parameters, and constitutions, are discussed as ways to maintain purpose in organizations. The episode emphasizes the need for purpose-driven organizations in the web 3.0 space.
Improving Working Conditions for Web 3.0 Workers
The podcast episode presents research on improving the working conditions for web 3.0 workers. The research examines the needs and desires of freelancers and contributors in the web 3.0 industry and aims to create viable mechanisms to enhance working conditions. Three key areas identified for improvement are psychosocial stability, financial security, and regulatory clarity. The episode also discusses the challenges of unionizing web 3.0 workers and suggests alternative approaches, such as guild models, to collectively address issues. The research aims to contribute to the legitimacy and sustainability of the web 3.0 ecosystem.
In this episode I spoke to my friend and scholar Tara Merk who is part of BlockchainGov and has been focusing her PhD thesis on Exit to Community (E2C). E2C is proposed as an alternative to IPOs or buyouts for founders of businesses to be able to be compensated for their work while giving ownership of their business to those that work on or use their product.
During the discussion we talked about what crypto brings to E2C, the regulatory landscape for community ownership, and whether web3 workers should become unionized. We also talked about her recently published research done with Other Internet on Solidarity Primitives for Web3 Social Security which explored the current state of working in web3 and potential solutions for its issues. I took part in the research study where I contributed the concept of solidarity primitives which we wrote about on the Breadchain Cooperative blog.
If you liked the podcast be sure to give it a review on your preferred podcast platform. If you find content like this important consider donating to my Patreon starting at just $3 per month. It takes quite a lot of my time and resources so any amount helps. Follow me on Twitter (@TBSocialist) or Mastodon (@theblockchainsocialist@social.coop) and join the r/CryptoLeftists subreddit and Discord to join the discussion.
ICYMI I've written a book about, no surprise, blockchains through a left political framework! The title is Blockchain Radicals: How Capitalism Ruined Crypto and How to Fix Itand is being published through Repeater Books, the publishing house started by Mark Fisher who’s work influenced me a lot in my thinking.
The book is officially published and you use this linktree to find where you can purchase the book based on your region / country.
Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts
Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.
