Shaping a world where we can thrive anywhere

Just the other day, we celebrated my newborn daughter's 100-day milestone. It's a big deal in Chinese culture, marking a moment of gratitude and hope for the future. I remember being told that my first-ever photo was snapped on my 100th day, which got me thinking: What kind of world is my little one going to grow up in?

We're living in a world that's changing at breakneck speed. Rewinding 35 years to my own early days, the world was a whole different ballgame, and I bet my parents couldn't have guessed half the changes that were coming. Now, as I look ahead, trying to picture my daughter's life in the next couple of decades, it's not just daydreaming—it's about making real decisions today. From picking the right daycare & preschool to figuring out how to spend quality time with her, and even to the broader strokes of where we want to raise her and how we plan our entrepreneurial endeavors. It's all in the mix.

Growing up, the mantra we learned was all about building bridges, not walls. Yet, if one were to merely skim the surface of today's news, it feels like we've taken a few steps back. There are real walls going up, both literally and figuratively. Trade sanctions, privacy battles, cultural discord, and technology disputes seem to be the new norm, exacerbating divisions between and within societies.

Fortunately, I've discovered a silver lining through personal journeys and professional undertakings across the globe. The essence of true understanding of the world, as my mentor once imparted during my days as a global macro investor at Franklin Templeton, doesn't reside in cold data from a Bloomberg terminal in your office but in the tangible, vibrant realities of diverse cultures in local communities.

This philosophy, cultivated early in my career, not only influenced my investment strategies, but also illuminated the path to my later ventures, witnessing the ascent of Adyen as a global fintech powerhouse and observing Strike making waves in Latin America and Africa. It eventually inspired me to build Sora Union, an initiative dedicated to providing stable economic opportunities for refugees and migrating individuals worldwide.

We now have great infrastructure to build a much better-connected world. Communications platforms like Slack and Zoom, collaboration suites like Notion and ClickUp, creative tools like Figma, and open-source projects on GitHub, have demolished traditional barriers to sync & async cooperation. Plus, AI and crypto have emerged as revolutionary tools at our disposal, serving as digital assistants and global financial passports, respectively.

But the future I envision transcends mere information exchange. It's about fostering genuine human connections that go beyond the superficial encounters of news headlines and tourism, aspiring towards a world where one can seamlessly integrate into different cultures, not as mere visitors but as active participants or "global locals.”

A huge barrier to becoming a global local is that most people’s lives and careers are constrained to a specific location, a specific company, and the specific role you play in that organization. Finding an employer that gets you, and that shares your mission and vibe would be the dream. But if that doesn't pan out, the future's looking bright for striking out on your own. You won't need a mountain of cash to get your idea off the ground because you'll have a crew of AI helpers at your fingertips as the extension of your skillset. It's about using your unique human spark to create something amazing.

Gone are the days when you were pigeonholed by your degree or stuck in a lane because that's what you studied back in school. The rigidity of education and career pathways is dissolving, replaced by a dynamic environment that encourages following one's passions, exploring new interests, and acquiring skills on demand. This fluidity ensures that education remains relevant and adaptable to the ever-evolving landscape of opportunities.

And when it comes to making connections, trust won't be as big of a gamble as they are on social media now because, with crypto and mechanisms like zero-knowledge proof, authenticity and transparency can be ensured. No more fakes or fibbers, just real, meaningful connections, and who knows, maybe even finding that special someone.

Imagine a scenario where relocating from one corner of the world to another is as simple as moving within your hometown, facilitated by a crypto-based identity that simplifies cross-border transitions, and bypasses bureaucratic hurdles, granting immediate access to local networks, including financial, educational, and healthcare systems. This future of work envisions a departure from traditional career constraints, supercharged by an ethos of continuous learning and self-improvement, making "the sky your home and limit."

However, embracing such mobility comes with its set of challenges, necessitating consideration of local resources like education, healthcare, and legal matters. Yet, a wave of innovative entrepreneurs is actively shaping a world that aligns with this vision as described in Balaji's Network State experiments like Vitalik's Zuzalu. SafetyWing is redefining global insurance & retirements and its affiliate Plumia is redesigning a global passport and visa system. Boundless Life is creating a new model for global families’ education resources. Outsite & Zoku (loved that hotel from my Amsterdam days) are establishing a new accommodation model. Over the next decade, the infrastructure supporting this vision is poised to mature, paving the way for a seamless global experience.

So, as I watch my daughter snooze away, dreaming her baby dreams, I can't help but wonder about all the adventures she's got ahead of her. It's a world that's changing faster than ever, but it's also a world brimming with possibilities. For her sake, and for all the little ones out there, I'm hopeful we can steer this ship toward a future with more bridges than walls, more empathy than misunderstandings, and a global community that's truly fluid and connected.