Hi all,
We recently launched Attribution Based Economics on some pilot projects, including Qi. What in the world does this mean?
ABE is economics based on the simple premise that if you create value, you should be compensated. It turns out that this simple idea when followed through all of its implications has profound consequences, including maximizing freedom and value created in the world, efficiency of production, and economically empowering us to address the big problems facing society, which, so far, we have been unable to do.
ABE is still at an early stage, and for now we are focused on addressing open source software. We've implemented a workable version of it for Qi. So far, from the financial contributions from community members (thank you!) that have been made to the Qi project, three contributors have been paid, and dozens more have amounts owed to them that are publicly declared. We aim to make open source economically viable, and this is a first step.
In the long run, ABE allows us to:
- eliminate patents and copyright. These horrible things are a significant drag on innovation in addition to having tremendous overhead - we just don't need them. Creativity can be set free without us having to sacrifice attribution and empowerment. Indeed, ABE allows us to achieve the same goals much more effectively and fairly.
- work on anything and with whomever we like, avoiding the need for traditional corporations as vehicles of value appropriation. Why shouldn't you be allowed to help your best friend or your sibling with their software project? The boundaries of corporate employment push us apart. ABE brings us together in creating value, instead, and is much better at it.
- and, well, there's lots more to say about it, you can read the launch announcement for more information.
Our work is only beginning, but honestly, we couldn't have gotten this far without the support, expertise and participation of this incredible community. I see Racket and the Racket community as essential to ABE's implementation, so I hope we'll continue to build cool things together and, if we manage to catch the right winds and with ABE at the helm, be compensated for our efforts, too.
If you'd like to get involved, feel free to stop by at any ABE event. We'd love to have you.
Thanks,
-Sid