Universe Building
One of my New Years resolutions is blogging much more consistently. Help myself organize my thoughts in a new way, although it might just be stream of consciousness. Get some ideas out there. The usual stuff. I won’t have a set style for these weekly posts, but HERE WE GOOOOOOOOO!!!!
When I look at building, I don’t want to simply address a problem. I want to create a universe. A universe that is vastly different than the current trajectory of how we believe things will be done and problems will be solved.
I believe universe building is the core mindset of a lot of the most disruptive companies we love and love to hate.
A few months ago I was at a dinner with a lot of young founders, VC’s, and general techies in NYC. Eventually, we got on the subject of WeWork. In short, everyone but me believed they are a Ponzi scheme. A product of a tech bubble where capital is far too easy to access. Maybe. But that’s such a simple way to dismiss such an impactful project.
I believe that WeWork is building one of the most unique universes of all current private companies right now. WeWork. WeWork Labs. WeLive. Rise By We. WeGrow. Flatiron School. Meetup.
Like our own universe, it can be hard to understand from any singular vantage point. Especially when you’re not part of it. Imagine an alien coming to Earth (with little to no context of our lives) and trying to understand: race relations, separate countries, neo-capitalistic tendencies, marriage, etc. But then, you become surrounded by it. And you don’t remember a time when/how you lived outside the scope of that universe. It’s why texting people with a green bubble feels like someone threw up on your screen.
Other companies/products/things that are universe builders: Apple. Ethereum. HQ Trivia. Supreme. Rick & Morty. Universities.
Building a universe includes a bunch of characteristics that help to make it unique and give a competitive advantage. From individual behavior a company can elicit to the way a company views/builds their product internally. I’m going to try to touch on a few.
1. Having an opposing crowd against you (mostly builder, nice if consumer as well)
Apple vs. Android | Ethereum (crypto in general) vs. established order of finance | UPENN vs. Frinceton
2. Holding beliefs that, for the most part, are not held outside of that universe (mostly builder, sometimes consumer — best if both but not necessary)
HQ Trivia- concurrent users coming together on a set schedule to participate and then disperse vs. we need users on this platform as much as possible because they need to see ads.
3. There is a clear rhythm that the crowd within the universe understands (consumer)
HQ Trivia- a game 2x a day | Apple- WWDC & other scheduled events for major product releases | Universities- semester & four years to graduate | WeWork- people coming in & out daily per their work schedule | Rick & Morty- scheduled episodes
4. The zeal of knowing that you’re part of something larger (builder & consumer)
Hypebeasts stuntin’ on the gram at the new Supreme Williamsburg shop | People constantly talking about crypto buys & sells | Going on Twitter to share what happened in “your” HQ game
5. A distant goal that others seem to not understand, but partaking in the universe gives you a sense of manifest destiny (builder & consumer)
Ethereum- a new financial order, decentralized, and secure | Universities- expanding knowledge & impact in perpetuity
Those are just a few of many things that I believe help companies compose their own universe. This is what I am most attracted to. Not every company has to be a universe builder, however… if you’re going to build something, why not make it like nothing else that currently exists.
I wrote this all on my phone. Sorry for any typos / structural issues. But I hope you enjoyed the read. Hit me up on Twitter the DM’s are always open. Please clap :)
