Swarm Manifesto
In Berlin on June 17th 2014 Swarm declared a revolution.
We stated our vision to restore to all people the power currently monopolized by the 1%, the power to participate meaningfully in economic life.
Unlike past revolutions, this is a revolution not to be joined, but to be owned. This is a fundamental fight for democracy, this is the Swarm Spring.
The right to invest and innovate is in the grips of the few with the resources. They force us to ask them permission to innovate and deny our freedom to participate. This is ostensibly to 'protect' us from our lack of intelligence. Ironically these same 'protectors' would not mind if we gamble our meagre savings at casinos or on the lottery, lest we accidentally do something of value and climb a step on the economic ladder.
We believe that we can build a better future. We believe that we can enable all to participate in a revolution of collective ownership, something that will radically shift the nature of human society. Witness the impact that the internet revolution has brought to bear on everything from book sales, to music, media, the Arab states, and even to the way we catch a taxi.
We are committed to bringing this same revolution to finance.
To deliver, the Swarm will build these vital components:
The first is cryptoequity. Cryptoequity is a replacement for traditional investment infrastructure. It is decentralized, and democratic and auditable. It allows flexibility in operating to suit any project requiring an investment. It permits the parameters of the equity to be aligned with what is best for the project. This may include both a share of profit or growth or even a true and equitable share of decision making power.
We believe that cryptoequity is to equity what cryptocurrency is to currency. It is a totally new technology that needs to be treated as such. We will spend our time and effort to ensure that it is treated as the promising new technology that it is, rather than simply forced into an old legal box. Although we will be forced to work across legal jurisdictions, we believe that the benefits of adopting these new technologies are immensely greater than working to resist them, and we expect many nation states to welcome and accomodate this, just as they have accommodated Bitcoin.
The second core feature of our platform is crowdsourced due diligence. The purpose of regulatory bodies is to avoid the manipulation of people via various scams. We salute this purpose, but believe this system has become increasingly dysfunctional and corrupt. All that has been achieved is a stifling of innovation, including a complex framework whereby fraud and misdirection of the highest order has been allowed to flourish.
We believe that collective intelligence, empowered by well designed reputational systems, can combine to vet new ideas and allow them to rapidly receive funds in an open, collaborative and well informed symphony. We will be revealing our full plans for this system at a special party in London on the 10th of July.
The third and major differentiating aspect of Swarm is that our technology allows us to distribute coins to all swarm holders. These coins may be:
(1) A percentage of some coin launched via the Swarm network (i.e. a share in a project)
(2) A coin that gives special access to types of information or purchases available exclusively to members of Swarm (i.e. a coupon)
(3) A coin that gives access to exclusive events (i.e. a ticket)
Swarm today is like a crypto-kickstarter offered via coins, with the intention of gradually introducing elements of cryptoequity as the legal framework is established for them. Because we do not know exactly what the future holds we cannot make certain promises to all particulars. But we can promise to work as hard we can to fulfill these offerings with the maximum potential.
We also believe that vested powers will seek to use their political ties to prevent this from being successful. This makes it imperative that we build rapidly and funnel the money we receive into building a large and resilient global network. No matter how much money we have, our enemies will be better funded and ready to use all of political connections to crush us. We must be resourceful and wily and fast.
To do this we need your help. The ultimate success of the swarm is as up to you as it is to us. We believe absolutely that the positive energy that comes out of decentralized networks is reciprocal, that it will build up an ecosystem of increased potency and innovation that out-innovates traditional structures. This is because we are swarming together, with spontaneity and syncronicity, not simply fitting things into a spreadsheet.
If this appeals to you, we invite you to join us. If not, we ask you to stay away. The benefits of our network will be revealed gradually to those who participate in our vision. For those who prefer the old ways, you will never realize what it means to receive a GOLDTICKET.
In the Swarm it is all for one and one for all. Let's do this.
Yours,
The Swarm
