It's been a disappointing week for many I’m sure (other than the haters but what's new).
I don't usually share my thoughts on reddit, but with the events that have transpired I just felt it was time to finally contribute to the community I've been glued to since the spring of 2018.
I started purchasing Kin towards the end of 2017 (few months after ICO). Kin first caught my attention after I pulled out of Bitcoin when the bubble had started bursting. In my mind, this was such a unique proposition and I saw no other coin that matched Kin's potential at the time. I had just been a few years out of a top MBA program and studied under some of tech industries' leaders, and to me this was an opportunity of a lifetime.
I loved the vision that Ted had for Kin. It was not just about elevating his own company Kik, but finding a way to level the playing field and elevating all the smaller players in the tech space. It is true that tech strategy has enabled a winner take all economy and has made it unfair for many, and I wanted to see something challenge this dangerous path we all are on. And over the years I kept purchasing Kin believing in its potential and what it stood for.
Unfortunately, I may have acquired way too much with the way the trial has turned out this week. I won't lie I was extremely discouraged and angry to take a significant loss. But I'm not pointing fingers at Ted and I don't think bashing this project has ever been the right response. Being a product manager in tech, I know just how difficult it is to launch straight-forward, incremental products. To actually try something potentially revolutionary and truly disruptive, well that just takes a lot of guts and grit. From a PM and entrepreneurial angle, I have tons of respect for Ted and everyone that has been involved in moving this project forward. That was quite the fight you all put up over the years, and I know a lot of pain involved.
Though it's heavy for me now, I don't think I'll end up regretting the decision to participate in this project. I'd like to think I make decent money moves with logic guiding me and emotions out of it. The decision trees I made for this project still make sense to this day. And I followed the progress and data closely - being a big believer in making data-driven decisions. But admittedly, maybe some of it was hype or emotions that made me not see this clearer. I overlooked the incumbent or "competition". Let's be real here, many of us did. But why do I say I won't have any regrets? Because how often does the common person get to participate in a potential tech revolution from the early stages. I'm not seeing any world-changing companies giving me a chance to put money in the ground stage anytime soon. Still hurts, but like I said I did my calculations and believed I took a shot at something potentially life-changing. That's how I see it.
My timeline has always been that this was likely going to take at least 7 years to figure out (without external intervention). Most major tech companies took that long to figure it out (even Bitcoin took 8 years before it caught on). So it's tough to see that we may be nearing the end of the road without truly knowing what this product can do. But I'm writing this to encourage Ted and team, and hoping they will make the right moves for the project and those who supported it over the years. I remember that former moderators/ambassadors have mentioned that Ted would "take care" of those that have supported Kin. So I figured I would bring it up as Ted goes into the negotiation/"assessing options" phase. I'm not going to pretend what's the right move or what options are available (I'm intrigued by decentralization and open source but not sure if that's even an option). But hopefully it will be made with sound strategy and without emotions for the betterment of everyone involved (even those that came in after the ICO). If Ted truly believes he has the resources to make this work knowing what he's truly up against, then great, I'll keep supporting and patiently observe. But if, the resources are limited, I hope there's some creative solution that can be achieved. I'd like to think the Kin technology is still incredibly valuable and useful, and that it can be used to the benefit of all that supported it. I also don't want to see countries outside the US to run circles around the US in crypto. Basically, I wanted to throw in another train of thought other than the negative sentiments or ideal scenarios to the discussion.
I gotta imagine that this whole journey has been incredibly tough for Ted and team. Having to sell Kik and endure trials of various kinds. No way I could've gone through that, and so you have my respect. I'm guessing the pressure is even higher now, but I hope you don't forget us in the next moves you make, Ted.
TLDR:
(1) One man's journey with Kin, and why my perception has not changed after 3 years.
(2) Encouragement to Ted and team to pull off something that works for everyone.
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