I don’t know about you…but there’s something about the idea of money that has always fascinated me.

Now, I know that sounds very Gordon Gekko, but the ability of a coloured piece of paper to carry such high praise and importance is nothing short of incredible. How the chase for money not only seems to have no ultimate end in sight - but can easily tear apart communities, families, people, countries and even at times the entire world. How it plays a part in our politics, religions, wars, education, sport, technology, culture…everything. A concept studied by economists, sociologists, psychologists, and financiers for centuries: a mechanism so firmly permeated into our way of life, and yet somehow it almost seems like no one has ever truly, truly understood it.

An entire planet, one teeming with the only life we know of thus far, endlessly revolving around a man-made and yet ever-changing concept - money.

A wicked flywheel.

There seems to be a moment in each of our lives when our view of the world and our place in it begins to change. Where we (at least attempt to) take our step onto the proverbial ladder and begin this seemingly endless but seldom vertical climb for monetary freedom. One that may last upwards of seventy years, but one which nonetheless, everyone seems forced to go through in order to survive, let alone make something of themselves. One which we take at the expense of our childhood, our time and in some cases our very sanity, and one that often ends up coming at the expense of our communities and the planet we call our home. It almost seems like very few of us even seem to enjoy it anymore. And yet, from the mercantilist camps of post-feudal Europe to the Walmarts, Amazons and Apples of today, there seems to be no end in sight to our pursuit of money, and its vortex only seems to continue sucking in beady-eyed, impressionable twenty-somethings like myself.

Or…does it?

No matter what you may think today, I don’t think it’s controversial to say that some parts of capitalism are worth protecting. See, one of the hallmarks of capitalism, one which is endlessly espoused by the staunch unwavering supporters of our ‘current thing’ hinges almost entirely on the idea that capitalism as a socioeconomic system…breeds competition and innovation. How without this proverbial ladder, no progress would be made, and humanity would be stuck forever in a state of perpetual stagnation. How without its tendency to promote competition (and ultimately greed), life itself becomes utterly meaningless and lying flat would be the only thing we would be capable of. The justification of the system we currently know and, in some but seemingly ever-shrinking cases love, hinges almost entirely on this singular idea - its ability to sustain innovation.

But there lies a glaring contradiction.

The interesting thing about innovation is that it almost always seems to come at the expense of something else. In other words, innovation (or more specifically, the innovation you’re likely to hear about) is often the disruptive kind. The car disrupted the horse, the Internet disrupted TV which disrupted the radio which disrupted the printing press, and so on. The endless vortex of capitalism, sustained by an endless vortex of support for capitalism sustained in turn by an endless vortex of the coveted ‘disruptive innovation’.

Except there’s one thing which no one seems to really take into consideration about disruptive innovation…the fact that practically nothing is truly safe. With every nascent industry, and with every technological advancement, comes collateral damage, and it’s almost impossible to quantify or really assess this damage until after the fact. So in some cases, the supporters of a particular socioeconomic system, industry or career path can sometimes be the ones disrupted by the very system they pledge their undying allegiance to. In today’s hyper-connected world, staying on your toes is imperative, and yet almost impossible - since you don’t really see or feel that you’re the one getting disrupted and by the time you do, it’s likely already blown past you.

The Internet has made disruptive innovation not only easier to come by…but ever more disruptive when it inevitably comes. The ability for practically anyone to send a message to people you’ll likely never get to meet in person is nothing short of a superpower, and one that prior generations could only dream of. And yet, we as Gen Z don’t know a world that exists without this ability. Born fresh at the heels of this innovation, we grew up seeing websites become behemoths, social media apps become politically charged, and disruptive innovation become ever so sticky. Companies are now increasingly forced to pay attention to the happenings of the Internet and social media, along with politicians and civil society itself, and yet to some, it still feels like an alien lifeform. A square box that can easily fit in your pocket, with more power than the computers used to reach the Moon. Science fiction…except it’s not really fictitious anymore. It’s not uncommon to sometimes ponder whether or not we were even supposed to have access to such a thing, and the impact it’s having on society, our mental health and our economies is something we’re still attempting to come to terms with and internalise today.

In 2008, a financial crisis rocked the world of capitalism. A crisis still fresh in the minds of many who were affected, the Great Recession tore families, communities, businesses and the entire financial world apart. There’s something incredibly sadistic about capitalism: its ability to turn real, palpable human suffering into mere red lines on a terminal. I was too young to really remember the recession all that much, besides the vague memories of hearing ‘credit crunch’ on the radio on the way to primary school, but it’s a moment in history whose repercussions are still being felt today. Not just in the minds of those affected, but ever-increasingly because of a tectonically disruptive innovation that came off the heels of it.

Yes…I’m talking about Bitcoin.

From the genesis block inscribed with the headlines of another bailout for banks to pizzas being bought for modern-day millions, to collapsing centralised exchanges - it’s nearly impossible to not hear about Bitcoin today. Its ability to bury a hole deep into the minds of not just technologists but practically anyone with access to the Internet is a feat that, once again, seems bordering on science fiction. Another alien life form, but one…that can finally disrupt money.

The wicked flywheel of capitalism itself.

Very rarely do two disruptive innovations meet. The car wasn’t born directly out of the horse, and the TV was not born directly from the radio. Evolutionary steps, one after the other, yes, but completely unique and separate innovations in their own rights. But what if, somehow, there arrives a time when two disruptors not only do meet…but were meant for each other? Like meeting someone new for the very first time, and realising there and then that they’re your soulmate, what comes of a time when one technological breakthrough becomes destined for another? When an unstoppable force, collides with an unstoppable object, what lies on the other side of that event horizon?

What if the collision of two unique disruptions, becomes so profound and creates such a tectonic shift that it finally births…a suitable rival to capitalism itself?

A separate, yet entirely new flywheel altogether.

An entirely new socioeconomic operating system, built from the ground up from the collective conscience of humanity, with one purpose - creating a future we can all collectively benefit from. One that not only sustains our coveted innovation cycle but can even put a stop to the perpetual ladder climb that we all are inevitably forced to go through? One in which humans not only remain in the driver’s seat but can achieve a level of freedom previously reserved for kings? One built in real-time, by people, for people, forever, wherever, whenever? One where work and labour no longer become a necessity to survive, but a mere choice - giving way to a renaissance in cultural creativity? One that seamlessly blurs the lines between virtual and real, creating a global third space built for anyone and everyone? One that would allow anyone, anywhere, to collectively step off the wicked flywheel if they so choose, and still have their basic needs met, along with a substantial portion of their desires, creating a shared reality of abundance for all? One which would allow physical goods to be produced at near-zero costs, and create an economic system that, truly, benefits all? One that once and for all reveals the hidden economic hand, and creates an economic system built for the future?

What if the seeds of the singularity…are rooted in economics?

"The social inefficiency of capitalism is going to clash at some point with the technological innovations capitalism engenders, and it is out of that contradiction that a more efficient way of organizing production and distribution and culture will emerge."   —Yanis Varufakis