Chris is best known for inventing the now ubiquitous hashtag, but his work over the last 15 years spans social technology, product design, synthetic media, founder culture and mental fitness.

Currently, Chris helps founders and creators with their Product Hunt launches. His insight into social technology stems from his experience at big tech companies like Google and Uber, combined with his role in popularizing social innovations like coworking and unconferencing.

Chris has shared his unique perspective in popular Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, and in books like No Filter by Sarah Frier and Billion Dollar Loser by Reeves Wiedeman.

In this interview, we talked to Chris about:
-How his “aversion to money” has evolved over time
-Why he’s spending his time helping makers build and problem-solve now
-Why he left the Bay and “became a nomad”
-Where he sees the general ethos of the Internet shifting next
-How he thinks about monetization like his relationship to fitness
-The “transitional period” we are in between economics of scarcity and abundance
-How much responsibility gig companies should have for their employees, and the issue with collective bargaining
-What the passion economy needs to keep growing healthily
-His hope for new platforms that enable creators with smaller followings

Brought to you by the Means of Creation newsletter: https://meansofcreation.substack.com/

#22 — Chris Messina on why the passion economy needs a more stable foundation to keep expanding