Jason J Sosa

Every night across news channels we hear the debates. The 2020 presidential campaign will most likely follow the pattern wrapped in tropes, zingers, myths, metaphors, and psychological warfare tactics going back to the days before WWI. What other metaphors exist by which we can build civil discourse?

In reality, capitalism and socialism are human constructs. There is no “ism” doctrine or set of rules. Capitalism and Socialism are constantly evolving spectrums of values, with extremes at both ends of a complex continuum. The differences are rooted in the separation of labor and capital. They are simply tools which either serve or do not serve societies best interests. The ultimate question then, is what interests are we serving and for whom? Today’s Republicans and Democrats look nothing like the parties of old. They will both look unrecognizable in the upcoming election season.

Each outraged click means more money for the PPC ad machine. The debates go back and forth with the ferocity of sound bites, memes, and click-bait headlines designed to hi-jack the limbic system of tribal minded news-junkies. These debates, often loaded with misdirection, mistaken definitions, terms, and conflated subjects altogether make an already complicated subject that much more impossible to understand and grasp for the average viewer watching at home.

A recent Harvard University Poll reported that only 42% of millennials supported capitalism. 33% wanted socialism.

The key take away?

Capitalism = good guys

Socialism = bad guys

…or vice versa, depending on who’s talking.

Bill Maher says

“Someone needs to explain to the free-market crowd that when it comes to socialism, you’re soaking in it,” Maher said. “So many Americans hate the word ‘socialism’ but love the concept: Medicare, unemployment, disability, farm subsidies…”

Ben Shapiro writes

“ Ocasio-Cortez can rant about capitalism from her iPhone while wearing her Sephora lipstick, but she should realize that she’s a beneficiary of the capitalism she so despises. It’s easy to rip on capitalism’s shortcomings while living amidst its benefits.”

The problem is that these debates come down to the philosophical lens. The problem is that our views become intertwined with our personal narrative and identity. Entrenched outrage in our political positions provides a sense of safety in a mad world. Talking points are adopted from opinion news shows, as our social media feeds inundate us with articles we’re already inclined to believe.

The challenge is in piecing together a complex tapestry across economics, humanities, technology, and security to define and architect a brand new philosophical lens from which we can build a workable model.

It is undeniable that the world is on the verge of technological convergence that is rushing headfirst into 20th-century values and institutions. And this power isn’t only in the hands of governments and corporations. Distributed ledger technology (the blockchain) enables brand new structures of trust management across dispersed geographic areas. The next generation of “low code” and “no code” programming opens the door to citizen developers— no code skills required. Edge computing will unlock cloud and computation at the device level. We’re at the tipping point somewhere between a legacy model of “greed is good” towards a people-centric Star Trek utopia, and no one is certain what lies in-between, or if we’ll even get there.

We’re sitting in the front row as a collective, witnessing the evolution of human civilization and the biggest shift since WWII. What are we rushing towards?

What lies beyond the conventional concepts of capitalism and socialism?

The world faces constant disruption, a shifting international world order, automation, and uncertainty like never before. Looking backward on governance is as helpful to the challenges we face in the 21st century as looking to the model-T to design the next Tesla.

AI-based governance won’t happen overnight. But given the track record of technological shifts, it is all but an inevitability, even if it’s hard to see from the vantage point of 2019. But how will it work? How soon? Most importantly, what will be the ramifications? Looking at what’s happening today in China with its social-credit system, to Netflix’s Black Mirror warning of a dystopian vision for our future — the next decade will be anything but traditional.

AI-enabled governance will be made real for everyday citizens at a local level once cities and municipalities adopt sensors and data flows best practices. The most advanced counties are just beginning to invest in architecture towards their smart city/region vision. The infrastructure and sensor network will generate huge volumes of data, and provide the first step towards integrated services and data pipelines. A far cry from the siloed departments across multiple cities, villages, and townships. This technology will benefit communities and be a helpful advancement. Currently, AI is in a commoditization phase with the top tech giants laying the R&D groundwork for their respective platforms. China has an AI initiative to lead the world by 2030 and the USA just announced an American AI initiative in response.

The blockchain and AI tools, when taken to extremes, provide the means to either enslave or liberate people. More than bits, bytes, and economics, an intelligent ecosystem needs to be people-centric. Made up of next-generation organizations motivated by capitalist ambitions, but also a social impact beyond the constructs of the past. Above all, we need a system that places people at its center. The hard part is to what extent.

Envisioning a new world is never easy, but the timing for the discussion has never been better than now, even if it is uncomfortable.

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3. Obsession with Partnering Investors tend to view partnerships as compensation for weakness. Investors really only care about sales/growth. An investor once told me, “Partnerships are bullshit. The only thing that matters is sales. Sales fixes everything. Companies only use the word “partnerships” when they don’t have sales”.

4. Patents = Defensibility Patents are useful if the technology is unique (i.e. BioTech), and it’s a good idea to file if part of your strategy is to increase IP value for an acquirer. However, given the 5–7 yr window for granted patents, it’s not a defensible argument for investors, at least within the tech world. Litigation is expensive and you’ll be hard pressed to find a VC that wants to fund it should a large incumbent infringe on your patent. Don’t waste your money. As a founder, spend every dollar as if it were your last.

Best Practices:

1. Product/Market Fit The value proposition (the problem you’re solving) meets the customer segments (who you’re solving it for) = Product/Market Fit. Test the shit out of this! It’s the basis for your entire company. If no one will pay you, it’s probably a sign it’s a “nice to have”, instead of a “must have”. Spend more time interviewing customers and less time trying to figure out your “perfect strategy”. It’s better to tap into existing pain/desire in the market than spinning your wheels working to create it.

2. Validation Testing Quickly test your assumptions and refine the process as you gather feedback from your customers/stakeholders. Doing this at the early stages provides agility in decision-making and reduces risk over the long term when the cost is small BEFORE you invest time/effort in development. Chances are that some of your gut instincts will be wrong. Don’t let the fear of uncertainty rush you into decisions that cannot be quickly reversed.

3. Low Fidelity/High Fidelity Prototypes By using low fidelity mock-ups you can learn what works and what doesn’t at a faster pace and with the least amount of investment. This is important, especially if user engagement and retention will be a key metric in your success.

4. MVP The “MVP” is an abused term. It is meant to be more of a process than a product. Prototyping is essentially a conversation you’re having with your ideas and your assumptions. The only way to know for sure is to get customer feedback, iterate, and keep your feature set and problems as small as possible.

In 2009 we lived in a six bedroom 2.5 baths 4,000 sq ft house. From an outside perspective, we had it all. A BMW in the driveway and a perfectly manicured lawn surrounded our cul de sac lot, A stainless steel BBQ grill sat on the wrap around deck,

it’s what we always thought we wanted. That is until we achieved it.

It’s what defines the American Dream – until we woke up and realized the mountain of debt surrounding us. The long working hours and stresses that came with this dream weren't what we wanted. In retrospect, the accumulation of physical possessions was one of the most profound experiences and one of the biggest mistakes of our lives.

What we realized was that the more we bought, the more we became owned. The manicured lawn became a never-ending tedious task. The three-stall garage and sprawling basement became a vacuum that drove us to fill the space with loads of crap we had to maintain.

Our lives became one of "boxes." We went from our box house to our box car, with a boxed lunch, to our box work. As the Great Recession of 2009 became a reality, we looked at each other and asked if this was all worth it. We were accumulating possessions we didn’t enjoy to impress people that didn't care. Our stuff consumed our time, our mental space and ultimately our happiness.

After a trip to Boulder Colorado, we decided to sell 90% of our material possessions. Where before our value system was centered on things and perception, our new value system would be based on people and experiences.

I was not a "truck guy," never went RV'ing and rarely even went camping. It was one of the most insane and yet beautiful ideas we've ever had. After months of debate, research, and careful planning we bought a diesel Ford F-350 truck and found a comfortable fifth wheel RV complete with slide outs, smart devices, TV's, Xbox One, and a fireplace. We headed across the country with our two boys.

In our first nine months, the four of us have discovered a new found appreciation for each other. We traded our sprawling house for 350 sq ft of living space and ended up happier than we’ve ever been. The kids have visited 20 states and multiple national parks. We’ve stayed at vintage 50's diner parking lots, wine vineyards, alpaca farms, and even ghost towns in Death Valley. We've lived in Boulder, NYC, SF, Asheville NC, just to name a few places. Throughout this experience, we learned a few things.

Fear is like a voluntary prison in your mind where there are no walls, no guards, and no inmates. Escape is encouraged and the lie you tell yourself is that by staying fearful, you will somehow be safe.

There are only two things you can control.

1. Your perception (how you view the world)

2. Your procedure (how you respond to the world)

This will come from the market itself – it isn’t always about your message, pitch or skills.

In selecting a niche remember this…

“You cannot create desire. You can only tap into the fears, frustrations, pains, dreams, and aspirations that ALREADY EXIST!"

Focus on the most compelling emotional pain or powerful desire possible. The market will let you know if you’re on the right track.

The task is not to create desire but to channel and direct it.

This isn't a vague idea or something you can sorta-kinda know. This is the foundation of your entire business. Take some time to sit down and figure this out for yourself. Most people spend more time planning a vacation than they do designing a life. Your business consumes an enormous amount of energy and focus. Give yourself the gift of channeling your energy in the right direction.