Hi all,
Just wanted to drop a note about a couple of things following a fair bit of discourse over the past few days - and perhaps weeks or months as well I suppose. I’m writing to you as wanted to try and reset, or at least add some context, to try and address what I perceive as a bit of an undercurrent of discontent and distrust between some in the community and (perhaps just some specific parts of) the team at MaidSafe. I feel like it’s an important one to address as some of those same people have supported the MaidSafe team in one form or another for many years.
I’m assuming, that while SAFE Network/Autonomi was in research and development mode, which extended to a nearly 18 year period, that there was likely a lot of conversation and back and forth, as the MaidSafe team, with the community at its side, tried to determine the best path forward for what was - and still is - a highly ambitious endeavor.
As some of you will know, I came in at the point where the MaidSafe board recognised (hoped), that the company was ready to deploy the technology it had been working on for so many years – to the benefit of all those connected to it.
I’m giving this context because I wanted to try and highlight that the relationship between the MaidSafe team and the forum is not something that I have, or ever would have, sought to intentionally influence, change or indeed neglect (even if I myself do not add much to the conversation). The nature of execution and experimentation with a small team (bearing in mind that team is also now working together asynchronically, rather than as a group of individuals) has altered the nature of the work that the team are doing as well as the associated connected factors that come along with that - one member needing another to finish something for them to be unblocked, a great need for more joined up processes, rigour and communications - we are trying our best to adapt and will become good or at least better at these things.
When I say ‘we’ - seeing MaidSafe as a collective of ‘them’ is absolutely fair and understandable, but please do recognise that beyond that, the team is made up of incredible individuals, real people, who care about what is said and thought about them - either directly or by association. Every person working at MaidSafe has their own skills, preferences, opinions, and areas of focus/expertise to deliver on. The focus, particularly over the last 12 months (beta node rewards feels like a lifetime ago!), with so many issues, gaps and fundamentals needing to be addressed, now we can see what the reality is, has been to give the network the best possible chance of scaling success. For that to happen we not only need to establish the baseline (101 table stakes), but also the tools, materials and incentives that people will ultimately need to be able to engage with the network in the way they would like to - eventually this will have nothing to do with MaidSafe - that’s the aim.
Qi
Chris
Anselme
Roland
Mick
Ermine
Victor
Shu
Lajos
Jae
Nic
Andrew
Jim
Gill
Rusty
Rachel
David
and myself
Will continue to do all we can, to the best of our ability while we’re at MaidSafe, to support the company’s post live aim of ensuring that Autonomi is a highly accessible and inspiring place to be connected with.
When we spoke yesterday, David talked a little to me about an allotment. He and the team (and you guys) may have found the space, dug the ground and provided the water, but it will take all sorts of different things being planted for there to be growth and a healthy harvest going forwards.
Typing on going forwards and touching a little on the theme of common ground, I have attached to this rather long note (apologies for that), a link. This is a link for Community Judge nominations. It will be open for a couple of weeks (we will give 24 hours notice before closing) and is related to Impossible Futures - the summary is below. I would love for you guys to have your say and to put Autonomi’s longstanding champions forward for the role, we will base places given on those with the most nominations, and if folks don’t accept it will go on to the next person with the next highest amount of nominations.
–
Judges will account for 40% of a project’s final score in the Impossible Futures program. The principal judges will be Autonomi Founder David Irvine and Autonomi Foundation/Impossible Futures Benefactor BambooGarden.
Joining them will be 3 guest judges who will represent (and judge projects in) one of the three relevant Impossible Futures categories; entertainment, infrastructure or knowledge.
Impossible Futures are now seeking to add 5 community nominated judges to the Impossible Futures judging process - knowing they will add knowledge, rigour, depth and perspective. Please submit your nomination via the link below:
