I love to rethink work
and technology from first principles.
Hello! I'm Owen. Author of You're Going To Be Fine - a free audiobook about the AI Revolution. I advise companies on AI, blockchain, open protocols, and the future of work. In the background, I'm building Poly - an entirely new way to work.
Talks.
It was such an honour to give the closing talk about The Future of Personal AI at the Urbit Assembly in October 2023, Lisbon.
I also gave the closing talk about The Future of Apps at the Urbit Volcano Summit in March 2023, El Salvador.
This is my "Twelve Thoughts on the Future of Web3" Mega Talk at EthBrno, November 2022. It covers L2s, mobile, open protocols, emotions, the economics of software, and going beyond full-time work.
Recorded just before the start of the pandemic (19th December 2019), this talk covers the difficult subject of censorship in an immutable world.
I have given many talks about Bitcoin and Ethereum at technical conferences, The London Business School and Imperial College.
This 2018 talk is about the problems with modern software development and how to fix them. It was done well before the creation of Lens.protocol and GPT-3, both fundamental leaps forward.
The long version.
I love to rethink established ideas from first principles, especially in the areas of work and computing.
My superpowers are predicting future trends and understanding people.
Over the years I have been a full-stack web developer, tech lead at numerous London-based startups, open-source project creator, and a technical adviser to McKinsey and Capco.
After discovering Bitcoin in 2013, then going to Devcon 1, I fell head-first into the world of web3 and decentralisation, believing it would change the world.
Today's crypto industry is, sadly, very different from the ideals of the past. But there are still plenty of interesting ideas there, and great people, if you know where to look.
I enjoy advising companies, whether that's on strategy, AI, decentralised protocols, or just figuring out what to build next.
I'm open to pretty much any arrangement that feels aligned to my values and isn't full-time. If something resonates, reach out.
AOL / Ad.com
Down the rabbit hole
Parity, KR1, Status
before it was a thing
Building Poly.site
What I believe.
Technology should be beautiful, useful and inspire an emotion.
I believe in free speech, the right to privacy, and open protocols.
We're living through the golden age! Let's use these tools to augment our creativity.
The smartest people always go to the source, rather than reading second-hand accounts.
What I'm building.
You're Going To Be Fine →
A free audiobook for anyone who gets a knot in their stomach thinking about AI and their job. Designed to be thought-provoking but above all - soothing. Continuously updated every few weeks.
Poly →
A new way to work: not just find a job, but fundamentally rethink how we collaborate. Currently building a new version with stablecoin payments, escrow contracts, dispute resolution, and immutable reputation.
Say hello!
I love to hear from people working on interesting problems. I'm open to advising startups, consulting, speaking, and anything else that feels like a good fit.