Tom Serres, co-founder of Warburg Serres, Animal Ventures, and Tomorrow Fund, shares insights on the future of the internet and his journey investing in 63 crypto projects shaping Web3.
Hi, Thank You Mr TOM - I have the same ideas, especially, in this part- "Unlike many crypto investors –– who only took an interest in the topic once they saw others getting rich –– I have a deep, longstanding interest in politics, governance, economics, and computer science (themes that are central to the crypto world, particularly since the emergence of the Ethereum ecosystem" - Well let´s keep in touch. A great Regards, from Brazil.
I think that the talks about applications, startups and the reach of the third internet is just begining in Brazil. There is a big potential to be achieved. Well, sounds like good the internet startups ecosystem here. Good partners, could be the ace in the hole for this companies.
I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your article on the evolution of the Internet. As someone who has been fascinated with the internet and its impact on society for many years, I found your insights to be incredibly well-articulated for a broad audience.
I noticed you didn’t use terms like blockchain, web3 or crypto, before you explained the reason later in the article. I’m happy to see someone with a deep expertise like yours be so intentional about speaking to the general public about the extraordinary paradigm shift we are witnessing. The way you explained this evolution of the Internet from read, to read-write, to read-write-own, was just perfect to understand what is at stake with the “New Internet” and connect the dots between different versions of it.
As a mental model I like to think that major technological innovations are still incredibly limited, because this forces me to think hard about macro trends and how the world/humanity can be shaped as we all move forward on planet earth. The Internet as it is today can be seen as a giant revolution for humanity, same with how we instantly communicate online today, same for e-commerce when we buy anything we want anywhere in the world. At the same time the current Internet is still very limited with a lot of downsides that you perfectly explained.
I’m glad and thankful people like you are shaping the future of the Internet and by doing so the future of humanity.
Steve Jobs used to say, "Technology should be either beautiful or invisible". I had the opportunity to hear this quote directly from John Sculley himself during a small group session some years ago. This quote has stuck with me ever since. I can't seem to get away from it or even challenge it. It beautifully describes our digital world. TCP/IP is invisible, SMTP is invisible...but we've clearly built some incredible experiences on top of them. Both protocols (today) power nearly 100% of humanity day to day activities, but nobody ever really talks about them.
I believe this is a "First Principal" that needs to be honored, and that ultimately web3 will be invisible to most people. However, the things we build on top of it (no different than today) will be even more beautiful given the new affordances provided by these various blockchain protocols. To be honest, IMO, if we're still using the word "blockchain" in 10 years, somethings gone horribly wrong.
It was such a great feeling to read your reply to my comment last week. It came with a very valuable lesson with the quote from Steve Jobs you shared, I had never heard of it before. It is awesome that you heard it from John Sculley himself. I found it so powerful and deep, I decided to take time to ponder it when I reviewed my day. This was a very impactful lesson that resonated with me.
I fully share the same perspective and having this mental model to express it now is amazing. I'm thankful you took the time to share it in the context of your article, I highly appreciate that you engaged in this interaction the way you did by sharing your valuable experience. It is extremely rare, and I want to thank you for that.
![crypto[native]](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!baju!,w_120,h_120,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc94827b0-d403-4ff4-a1dc-b507623bbbd2_1000x1000.png)
Hi, Thank You Mr TOM - I have the same ideas, especially, in this part- "Unlike many crypto investors –– who only took an interest in the topic once they saw others getting rich –– I have a deep, longstanding interest in politics, governance, economics, and computer science (themes that are central to the crypto world, particularly since the emergence of the Ethereum ecosystem" - Well let´s keep in touch. A great Regards, from Brazil.
Love hearing your thoughts!! Appreciate the additional commentary! Please do stay in touch.
I think that the talks about applications, startups and the reach of the third internet is just begining in Brazil. There is a big potential to be achieved. Well, sounds like good the internet startups ecosystem here. Good partners, could be the ace in the hole for this companies.
Keep up fighting the good fight!!
Hi Tom,
I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your article on the evolution of the Internet. As someone who has been fascinated with the internet and its impact on society for many years, I found your insights to be incredibly well-articulated for a broad audience.
I noticed you didn’t use terms like blockchain, web3 or crypto, before you explained the reason later in the article. I’m happy to see someone with a deep expertise like yours be so intentional about speaking to the general public about the extraordinary paradigm shift we are witnessing. The way you explained this evolution of the Internet from read, to read-write, to read-write-own, was just perfect to understand what is at stake with the “New Internet” and connect the dots between different versions of it.
As a mental model I like to think that major technological innovations are still incredibly limited, because this forces me to think hard about macro trends and how the world/humanity can be shaped as we all move forward on planet earth. The Internet as it is today can be seen as a giant revolution for humanity, same with how we instantly communicate online today, same for e-commerce when we buy anything we want anywhere in the world. At the same time the current Internet is still very limited with a lot of downsides that you perfectly explained.
I’m glad and thankful people like you are shaping the future of the Internet and by doing so the future of humanity.
Best,
Max
Hi Max! Thanks for your well articulated comment!
Steve Jobs used to say, "Technology should be either beautiful or invisible". I had the opportunity to hear this quote directly from John Sculley himself during a small group session some years ago. This quote has stuck with me ever since. I can't seem to get away from it or even challenge it. It beautifully describes our digital world. TCP/IP is invisible, SMTP is invisible...but we've clearly built some incredible experiences on top of them. Both protocols (today) power nearly 100% of humanity day to day activities, but nobody ever really talks about them.
I believe this is a "First Principal" that needs to be honored, and that ultimately web3 will be invisible to most people. However, the things we build on top of it (no different than today) will be even more beautiful given the new affordances provided by these various blockchain protocols. To be honest, IMO, if we're still using the word "blockchain" in 10 years, somethings gone horribly wrong.
Hi Tom!
It was such a great feeling to read your reply to my comment last week. It came with a very valuable lesson with the quote from Steve Jobs you shared, I had never heard of it before. It is awesome that you heard it from John Sculley himself. I found it so powerful and deep, I decided to take time to ponder it when I reviewed my day. This was a very impactful lesson that resonated with me.
I fully share the same perspective and having this mental model to express it now is amazing. I'm thankful you took the time to share it in the context of your article, I highly appreciate that you engaged in this interaction the way you did by sharing your valuable experience. It is extremely rare, and I want to thank you for that.
We all need a gentle reminder on how the internet and its values have changed over time. Looking forward to the posts, Tom.
Thanks, Parth!! Not to mention, all the great work YOU are doing in web3!