I read Moxie’s “My First impressions of web 3.” Everything he described in his experience in building a dApps and NFT matched my experience and intuition from setting up geth to exploring analytics on the entire Etherum blockchain without relying on the “centralized” platforms.

Aside – I was surprised by the lack of privacy. ENS + Twitter + Network Analysis = Mindblown.

Moxie’s take about centralization early on being a bad sign about decentralization is interesting to me. I agree in broad strokes, He also highlights the path dependant nature. I wonder if this is a permanent change in the equilibrium position of the internet.

The internet started with the idea of being completely decentralized with protocols. It was centralized in universities that had infrastructure that made it easy to participate. Large companies like CompuServe, Prodigy, and AOL emerged as centralized points in the consumer experience. There was a time when Netscape was pretty much the only way to “surf the web” from points like Yahoo, AltVista, and Ask Jeeves. Web1, as it is called now, was very centralized.

The decentralized nature of the protocols made it possible for any job being done by a company to be done by someone else. Partly supported by new technologies. Partly supported by new framing, changing markets, or new business models.

I strongly suspect that web3 will be the same. The early centralization will happen with the enthusiasm to participate. The decentralized nature of the protocols and the acceleration of technology and business models will lead to increased opportunity/competition with every early job done by the initial cohort of centralized web3 companies. Plus as the market grows, the jobs that need to be done change.

I agree with Moxie’s take. I also think that equilibrium has shifted. There is opportunity is surfing the web3.