NETWORKED REALISM and Why Urbit Failed

I talk with Adina Glickstein — Master’s student in Media Studies under Nathan Schneider at UC Boulder and editor-at-large at Spike Art Magazine — whose recent Compact Mag article, The Rise and Fall of Urbit finally gave me the excuse to talk about Urbit on the podcast.

We unpack what Urbit is trying to be (although many don’t seem to agree), its creator Curtis Yarvin (aka Mencius Moldbug, philosopher of the alt-right), and how its governance structure mirrors his anti-democratic ideals. I thought this was an important episode to detail since Urbit's founder recently debated Glen Weyl on the question: "Should the U.S. Be Ruled by a CEO Dictator?"

While the debate was interesting, I think there was a lost opportunity to talk about the failures of Yarvin's own company as Adina and I discussed.

And somehow by a stroke of luck, I think this fed perfectly into the latest episode I did with Nick Houde and Severin Matusek from co-matter, a research and strategy studio based in Berlin, who recently published an incredible memo that is chock full of incredible analysis and insight into our current moment.

“New World Order: The Return of Hard Power and Soft Beliefs is a 35-page research memo about what happens when power, infrastructure and ideology collide.

A manual for anyone trying to make sense of the present, New World Order contains ideas, context and language to participate in shaping the world that emerges in front of our eyes.”

The memo is chock full of useful and powerful concepts that help explain this moment. You can order a copy of the memo on Metalabel here. (I’ve already got my copy!) Lots of great quotes like “Yesterday’s moral stance is tomorrow’s liability” and “Whoever controls the infrastructure controls reality itself.”

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Slavoj Zizek on Network States

The one and only Slavoj Zizek published a piece on Network States and of course I had to read it and share it with you all. It’s normally behind a paywall on his Substack but was put on Fileverse by recent guest Naomi for all to read.

Check out the article on Fileverse here.

I really want to know who is in Zizek’s ear talking about crypto stuff so much that he knows what DAOs are…

TBS Content Rollup

I know the content has slowed down a little bit but I swear it's because I've been working on something really big that I can't yet say anything about because of the nature of it but I swear it'll be worth the wait. And yes, it has to do with network states. In the meantime, in case you missed them, check out some of the latest episodes here:

• ​NETWORKED REALISM: Whoever Controls the Infrastructure, Controls Reality​
• ​Slavoj Zizek on Network States​
• ​Why Urbit Failed with Adina Glickstein​
• ​Free Market Friends with Naomi Oba​
• ​Surfing the Wind: An Airdrop Parable​
• ​Socialism vs Blockchain Socialism (Response to Mike Pepi on Doomscroll)​
• ​My talk at Dappcon 2025: Solidarity Primitives​

Did you know that I actually don't make any profit from this work?

That's right. Lately I've actually been LOSING MONEY by continuing this channel as I've increased production quality (including paying for a video editor), and begun to focus more on video. If you would like to ensure that I can continue this work for the long term and see it grow in reach then please consider giving to my Patreon to support my work. Blockchain does not need to be used to further entrench capitalist exploitation if we put our efforts into it.

I also have one of the biggest things I think I've ever done planned very soon🤫Expect something very big to drop...

THE BOOK for the crypto left

Did you know I wrote a book with a recommendation by Vitalik Buterin (founder of Ethereum) himself and several others? Published by Repeater in August 2023, Blockchain Radicals is THE BOOK for those who identify with or are interested in learning more about he crypto left. Blockchain Radicals offers a comprehensive analysis and explanation of the blockchain space from an explicitly left wing point of view.

The book is written for both beginners and technical experts of the blockchain space so no matter where you are on that spectrum, there is plenty for you to take away from. Plus there's also an audiobook version!🎧

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