Who gets to decide where the power and trust resides? Tech insights with Samantha Radocchia

Interview with Samantha Radocchia, see our review of her book Bitcoin Pizza here.

What is your background briefly?

I grew up exposed to and around a lot of technology. My brothers (and by extension, me) were into gaming, learning basic coding at a young age. So I’d build super simple HTML/CSS websites, you know, super retro these days with dancing babies, music playing, visitor counters, and lots of neon. They were usually about puppies or games.

My dad ran a retail business and was a systems thinker. I remember running around in warehouses and being fascinated with all of the sorting machines, automation, computer programs running off the mainframe which would direct the packages to certain areas of the warehouse and certain trucks.

When I went to college, I was fascinated with how technology impacted people and human behavior–social engineering–so I studied anthropology, neuroscience, and theater. The technical engineering is an important part of it, but I believed that without adequate understanding of and support for the social and cultural elements in technology, engineering would just end up being over-engineering.

For my anthropology thesis, I lived in a virtual world called Second Life, where I ran a small digital t-shirt shop and sold the digital t-shirts to other avatars in the world in exchange for a virtual currency called Linden Dollars. That’s probably around when I got into bitcoin and could see this entirely new world forming where people spent more and more of their time in or on computers, phones, and technology. Yet, while I found technology fascinating, I always found the change to be scary, and even a bit dystopian.

You know, like that Matrix or Black Mirror sort of future. I started a program in theater directing, and kept writing these plays that dealt with the ideas of technology and how they were impacting people, particularly older folks, and just couldn’t stop. Ultimately, I started my first company because I wanted harness emerging technologies for the betterment of society and our planet.

Since then, I’ve founded 3 companies using technologies ranging from AI/Machine Learning, Blockchain, IoT Sensors and Hardware, and additive manufacturing.  I hold several patents in these fields, and am a co-founder of Chronicled, an enterprise blockchain company focused on supply chain. I now consult executives on emerging technologies and trends and delivers keynotes at events worldwide as I work to build my next company.

I’m deeply passionate about Future of Work, Future of Production, Future of Wellness, Future of Cities, and Future of Community/Governance as manifested through blockchain and decentralizing systems, additive manufacturing, vertical farming systems, virtual and augmented reality, and gaming. I am a licensed pilot and has accumulated over 700 jumps as a competitive skydiver.

Tech insights with Samantha Radocchia

Does it seem like a logical background to what you do now?

Is there a such thing as a logical background? Short answer, sure. Long answer, no – I’m on a long and rambling journey that has taken me in many unforeseen places. When I was standing on a the stage as a theater actor as a kid, would I have imagined that would manifest as giving TED talks or keynote speeches on technology as an adult? Probably not. When I was getting kicked off the computer for playing too many PC games as a kid would I have thought I’d discover bitcoin? No.

When I studied anthropology would I have thought I would have become a 3 time founder of multiple deep tech software companies. Yeah, right. And yet here I am.

1 min pitch for what you are doing now?

I just got off a whirlwind speaking tour, which brought me to Brazil, Chile, Switzerland, Italy, and Mexico, and gearing up to head to Singapore, Vietnam, Kenya, and Canada in the New Year. I really enjoy storytelling. You see, we are in the midst of an era of rapidly accelerating–some might say exponential–change. And with rapid change can often come misimformation and fear. I travel the world telling the stories of positive change, and how best to embrace it; whether the catalyst for that change be technological, socio-cultural, geo-political, or even personal change from within.

In addition to delivering keynote talks on topics such as emerging technologies and futurism, embracing change with a growth mindset, future industry and organizations in a distributed world, I am writing — both for Forbes and other publications– as well as personally. My graduate studies were focused on anthropological inquiry and ethnography, particularly in respect to the impacts of technology on society, so I’m doing a lot of independent as well as funded research, which I will most likely continue into my PhD.

I’m also working on a fiction novel, which will provide a new lense by which to view the impacts of the decisions we are making today on a future we are building for tomorrow. Finally, I consult for governments, companies, and associations of the imapcts of emerging technology while I work to build my next company. Hint: this company aims to restore trust and connections between people and each other, the environment, and the products they consume. I think we all have a duty to leverage our knowledge and capabilities for the btterment of society, and that’s what I’m doing.

What inspired you to write the book? If there is a 2nd edition, what would you devote more time on?

Bitcoin Pizza has been quite the journey. I’ve been in the bitcoin, crypto, and blockchain space for quite some time. First, as a researcher back in the early days (~2009/2010). Second, as an entrepreneur building a blockchain company (~2014). Over the years, and working in both capacities, what I realized was that a lot of people–whether they were friends, family, or even potential customers–had no idea what this wacky internet money stuff was or, and most importantly, why it was important.

I’d sit in the audience of conferences, and listen to the most droll presentations, where the presenter would make assumptions about the technical prowess of the crowd, and jump into esoteric ramblings about Austrian economics and proof of work. The presenter would immediately lose the crowd, eyes glazed over. Then in 2017, the mainstream media started covering crypto and blockchain more, as the price of bitcoin skyrocketed, and companies started changing their names from “The Long Island Iced Tea Company” to “The Long Island Blockchain Company.” Kodak, arising from bankruptcy, announced they were launching a ASIC miner for bitcoin.

It was absolute chaos. So then we went from complete lack of interest and understanding to complete and utter bullshit and misinformation. So I wrote the book — the No-Bullshit Guide to Blockchain — because I’m no bullshit. I’ll tell you when you need this tech and when, more likely, you don’t need it. The more important thing to understand isn’t how the tech works, or how you might use it, but why it came to be and what larger socio-cultural, geo-political, and technological paradigm shifts occuring and how best to be prepared for them.

Who do you hope your readers will be? & Who have been your readers to date?

The book was originally intended for mostly the enterprise audience. Folks whose bosses told them to learn more about blockchain, or who were independently curious after their company announced a new blockchain iniative. Also other tech-savyy or tech-interested women and men, and college students who wanted a more relateable, conversational, read. The most interesting thing, though, is that so far, a lot of my readers are women! They love the tone, the relatability. One totally unforeseen response has been that after people finish the book, they come to me and ask “how do I get involved” or “how do I buy Bitcoin?”

I didn’t set out to inspire people to invest in the space, I simply hoped it would provide more of foundation about the meaning, history, and some cultural nuances in the crypto community to make anyone — whether you are a 40 year old oil executive, a 80 year old grandmother, a 19 year old college student, or a 32 year old working mom–confident to join this vibrant community.

In terms of this -> “we are undergoing a larger socio-cultural paradigm shift that is impacting all aspects of life from how we exchange, how we produce food, how we govern, how we work and bitcoin / blockchain is a manifestation of this larger shift.” we hope so too, how soon might this happen? While the future is rushing in, we still have a lot of populist leaders looking to tap into people’s fear of change too. How do you see this playing out?

We are already well underway. Just look around. Look at the shifts taking place all around the world. First of all, there is a systemic lack of trust that is impacting almost every facet of life, whether that be our finances, our data, our food systems, our healthcare systems, our supply chains, our media. This has led to either general ambivalence of the public, or, in more extreme cases, the movement back to nationalism and authoritarianism and control.

We’ve passed the point of no-return in respect to exponential technologies like AI/ML, blockchain, IoT sensors, but where we still have time to develop systems, policies, and governance is arond in what ways we use these tools and to benefit whom, with what business models. Just the other day, after a keynote speech, an individual came up to me and asked, “Do you think the shift away from a nation-state system will be a peaceful one?” I was taken aback. I had not suggested that we were moving away from traditional governance, but yet, that is how he interpreted decentralization and the changes coming with it.

To that, I responded, well, we are already living in a world where potentially Facebook, Amazon, and Alibaba are bigger than the biggest banks, bigger than the biggest countries. We already are on a level above the nation-state with the large multi-nationals. So what’s next? And more importantly, who gets to decide where the power and trust resides? Will it be a system by which we completely decentralize and trust computers and cryptography?

Will it be a new governance system that has yet to be defined but takes into account the globalized nature of our present reality? I’m not a fortune teller, so I’m not going to try to predict anything. What I will say is that it’s important to educate ourselves and engage in open discourse as we navigate these changes.

Where are we at in terms of the Gartner hype curve and blockchain?

Well, Gartner would probably say we are in the “trough of despair.” Probably accurate. That said, there is a lot of incredible work taking place and infrastructure being built. Take just the first use cases in finance. That alone is a big enough idea. Rebuilding the world’s financial infrastructure.

Anything from digitizing existing currencies to moving the trust model away from central banks into cryptography, decentralized finance, payments. It’s a MASSIVE opportunity. Just think how big of an idea that is, then realize that it’s only been a decade since the Bitcoin network launched. We’re hauling ass.

How can people find out more about you & your work?

The interwebs, of course! My website is samantharadocchia.com, you can see more of my talks there, and read on my blog, “Radical Next.” You can find me on Twitter and Instagram at @SamRadOfficial and of course, don’t hesitate to reach out if you want to discuss speaking / workshops, consulting, Bitcoin Pizza, or just geek out.

Anything else you’d like to add / we should have asked?

I’d just like to add that I am grateful to be alive during this unique moment in human history and for the opportunity to take part in such an important global paradigm shift. We all have the ability to use our skills, networks, and unique giftings to make a positive impact on our societies, cultures, political systems, technologies, and economies, and I hope the readers join me in building a better future for us all!

More about Sam here ->

Samantha Radocchia | Entrepreneur, Cultural Technologist, Author, Keynote Speaker

@SamRadOfficial

Building, writing, and speaking at the intersection of emerging tech and cultural trends.

Samantha Radocchia, or “Sam Rad” for short, is an entrepreneur, author, engineer, and early blockchain pioneer and advocate who combines the mindsets of an anthropologist and a technologist. She’s led corporate trainings at Fortune 100 companies, governments, investment firms, and the United Nations, educating leaders on the technologies and cultural shifts that will shape their organizations—and daily lives—in the decades to come. Sam is the author of the #1 Best Selling book, Bitcoin Pizza: The No Bullshit Guide to Blockchain, writes as a contributor to Forbes, and was named to their 30 Under 30 List in 2017. A three-time entrepreneur, Sam holds several patents, and is a co-founder of Chronicled, an enterprise blockchain company focused on supply chain.

She now consults executives on emerging technologies and trends and delivers keynotes at events worldwide as she works to build her next company. She’s deeply passionate about Future of Work, Future of Production, Future of Wellness, Future of Cities, and Future of Community/Governance as manifested through blockchain and decentralizing systems, additive manufacturing, vertical farming systems, virtual and augmented reality, and gaming. Sam is a licensed pilot and has accumulated over 700 jumps as a competitive skydiver. Follow Sam at @SamRadOfficial.