WTF is BitClout?!
The future of productizing people, and listing them on a stock exchange
This is not investment advice. These markets are highly speculative, and the tech pack to support them is brand new. Please proceed with caution.
There’s this axiom in both venture and the creator economy: bet on the jockey, not the horse. Like a lot of people, that’s always been my philosophy: I bet on humans. The systems, the businesses, the content they create are just results of them being great leaders, systems thinkers, storytellers, and entrepreneurs.
The first time I ever met Zack Honarvar, I remember thinking: if I could buy stock in this guy, I would. We now work together, which is my bet on him. But imagine a world in which him and I not only are building businesses together, but also hold ownership in each other. We are now more committed to each other’s successes regardless.
Enter BitClout.
This is an idea with the potential to disrupt the future of how we invest, create, and communicate. Let’s start with what it is:
BitClout essentially commodifies human capital through a native cryptocurrency. It has allegedly assigned 15,000 coins from top Twitter talent, that only have to opt-in if they want the financial upside. But the beauty is that everyone, not just your favorite creators, can have a coin.
There’s a marketplace of exchange — where prices go up and down, based on buying and selling, just like any other market. These are quite obviously very speculative markets based on the perceived current and future value of the individuals listed. There is a high associated risk with this (see: essay yesterday for reasons why).
The first use case for BitClout is pretty obvious: it’s creators. This marketplace formalizes the “I started watching at 10 subscribers” behavior we see in YouTube comments. Fans can buy into their favorite creators early, and ride the wave.
But BitClout has the potential to reach far beyond just creators. It will empower regular people…
