Thread by @randizuckerberg

1/X Getting into NFTs/crypto: what is your “why?”

When everyone around is rushing in, everywhere around is mania & FOMO, it can be easy to jump in w/o thinking. But I’ve found that unless you have a clear “why,” jumping into an area with a lot of noise can be challenging.

2/X There will always be people who will outwork you, outspend you, outsmart you. If you’re just here because it’s trendy/you think you should be, you’re in for some stormy seas. But if you have a clear “why,” you can outlast and outsuccess (sorry, not a word) anyone.

3/X Here’s a bit about my “why” for Web3, in case it helps you.

For the past 15+ years, I feel like I’ve been living a split life. One part of me, the techie, in Silicon Valley, on the front lines of social media. The other part, the artist, loving Broadway & theater.

4/X After a decade of working in Silicon Valley, I left it all behind to go perform on Broadway in the 80s rock musical Rock of Ages. 🤟 I couldn’t deny my artist side anymore. It was an incredible experience, but I continued to feel like I didn’t really fit into either world.

5/X I was too artsy for the tech community (ppl couldn’t understand why I would leave an awesome job to sing on Broadway) and too techy for the arts community (if I was a true artist, I wouldn’t have worked in tech.) So I continued to balance both sides…until Web3 came along.

6/X Suddenly I found tech and art coming together in the most magnificent way. A world where art, powered by tech, allowed creators to own and connect with their audiences. I suddenly felt like the split identity I had been precariously balancing for years, made sense.

7/X My “why” is that I have been part of the movement working to bring tech & arts together, giving creators direct access to their audience, for years. At Facebook, my team created Facebook Live, giving everyone a platform to bring content directly to their audience.

8/XIn 2012 I gave a TEDx talk encouraging theater artists to use tech to address the issues of trust among IP stakeholders & fix the problem of SO many middlemen in the arts. Basically…calling for blockchain & decentralization without even knowing those words existed!

9/X Let’s talk about middlemen in the arts. It’s utterly unbelievable. Can you believe that I have won TONY awards for producing shows…where I NEVER had a SINGLE conversation with the playwright?! Because a handful of gatekeepers decide only THEY can speak with the creatives?!?!

10/X Or how about the fact that it’s nearly impossible for a Broadway show to live stream, even during the height of a pandemic where streaming could save tens of thousands of jobs, because middlemen are too scared of what happens when artists can go direct to their audience?

11/X Every day for over a decade, I have woken up with a burning passion to decentralize the arts, to democratize access to creatives, to utilize tech to help parties understand in a crystal clear way who owns what. And so THIS is my “why” for diving into everything about Web3.

12/X The fact that any of us can now purchase a work of art that is irrefutably ours, establish a direct connection to an artist/community & help fund the arts while participating in the upside & demonstrating that the arts can be a strong investment class, makes me weep with joy

13/X PLUS, I get to demonstrate this thesis while supporting women. And there are the MOST amazing female artists & creators in the Web3 community. On Broadway, in fine arts, women are so underrepresented. We can push a boulder uphill there…or we can get in at the start of Web3!

14/X I understand the joy of launching a product. I also understand how it feels to be ignored or underestimated as an artist. I know the disappointment of your art getting panned. I also know how overwhelming sudden artistic success can be. (My Broadway debut was at 32 yrs old!)

15/X This “why” guides every minute I spend, every dollar I invest, every connection I make. And all the people I deeply respect in this space have such strong “whys” for being in Web3 as well.

16/X Maybe your “why” is helping people discover great art. Maybe it’s onboarding & educating newcomers. Maybe it’s investing in the next wave of innovation. Activism. Identity. Community. Self-expression. Building the future. Maybe it’s purely financial. But be sure to have one

17/X So…while I am a huge champion of buying that NFT, crypto, piece of land in the metaverse - I urge you to make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons. Any industry with a lot of noise/mania requires an equally strong “why” as your guiding North Star. Thx for reading ❤️