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One of the Atmosphere’s big bets is that the next 100m users will be won by making decentralised tech + data sovereignty more compelling. I’m less than convinced. We may be solving problems only builders care about, while overlooking problems that actually make ordinary people choose a network.

“Own your data” is an important table-stakes property of an open network, but isn’t an obvious consumer benefit. Most ppl don’t wake up worrying that they don’t control their social data. They want to know what’s happening, follow creators they care about, stay connected and find their communities.

Web participation patterns makes this clear: ~90% of people consume 9% interact/react 1% create original content. People aren’t looking for infrastructure. They’re looking for relevance, relationships, info, entertainment, belonging (and increasingly ways to make or save money).

That creates a tension for Atmosphere builders. We naturally notice tech capabilities cos we’re close to it. We see what becomes possible with decentralised identity, portable data, composability and an open social graph.

But capability is not the same as market demands!!! Elegant solutions can still be highly irrelevant to the masses of people we’re trying to attract.