Thread by @dominic_w

1/ The Internet succeeded because of its openness and decentralization

- Many thousands of independent ISPs built-out its huge scale
- Entrepreneurs could connect without permission
- Nobody could take away your access

2/ AOL, Compuserve & other corporate networks couldn’t compete

- The world didn’t want to connect via corporate-owned walled gardens
- Entrepreneurs needed permission to create services there, and...
- They might be switched off for competitive reasons

3/ Entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation flourished on the Internet

- Anyone could connect a new service at low cost
- Nobody could degrade or remove access
- You got worldwide reach

4/ But the Internet has become much more monopolistic and corporate

- Internet giants run services that act as “necessary” platforms e.g. Facebook
- Most cloud/hosting performed by few massive players e.g. AWS, Google
- Vertically integrated ISPs selectively throttling services

5/ “Platform risk” stalks aspiring Internet entrepreneurs and VCs

- Monopolistic platforms can change rules & withdraw access overnight
- Social games co Zygna wrecked when Facebook changed the rules
- LinkedIn restricted APIs to Microsoft & Salesforce, wrecking 00s startups

6/ Platform risk has become one main reasons startups don’t get funded

- Less opportunity to get great startup ideas going
- Less entrepreneurship, creativity, innovation and growth
- Bad for users, bad for entrepreneurs and bad for investors

7/ The monopolistic Internet is now getting boring...

- Young kids think the Internet is Google, YouTube, Facebook…
- Gmail took 10 yrs to upgrade to InBox!! eBay hasn’t changed!!!
- Most Web unicorns were created many years ago

8/ Paradigm shift needed bring back openness and decentralization

- Public Internet must host new services, not cloud monopolies
- New services must be architected to prevent ossification of control, and..
- Provide guarantees to other entrepreneurs about API/data access

9/ DFINITY’s Internet Computer project aims to enable

- The Internet to host the world’s next generation of software and services
- A new breed of Internet services that are “open source businesses”
- Innovators to succeed and make the Internet more free

10/ Coming: a new IT stack based on WebAssembly

- End-to-end WebAssembly framework, from browser to Internet Computer
- Co-designed by DFINITY staff engineer, WebAssembly in all browsers
- New model for programming & hosting software systems

11/ Hosting on Internet Computer uses more hardware, but big advantages

- Hackproof platform, data/services always available, interoperable, privacy
- Hugely simplified model for developing/maintaining new systems
- Developer inefficiencies cut. Real costs dramatically lower

12/ Internet Computer supports “autonomous software” systems…

- Exist and run independently, no need for an owner
- Use inbuilt tokenized governance systems to incorporate updates
- Token holders get paid share revenues for voting (=value)

13/ Services built using autonomous software can

- Raise money for R&D (e.g. founders or to pay bounties) by selling tokens
- Provide guarantees to users about usage data, privacy
- Provide guarantees to others about availability of APIs

14/ Mutualized network effects can create new Internet

- Open e.g. LinkedIn can guarantee access to its APIs
- Better prospect for entrepreneurs wanting build out and extend
- Network effects work both ways - mutualized & ultimately more powerful

15/ The Internet will be fun again

- Entrepreneurs and investors can build a new open Internet
- Creativity, innovation can flourish. More opportunity
- Users get a better deal. Services innovate faster

16/ Internet Computer, in essence...

- An overlay network that enables the Internet to host software and services
- A system for creating a new generation of open Internet services
- A complete, new technology stack that’s open and better