Revisiting "Read Write Own": 16 Classic Insights from a16z's Founder
Original Article Title: 16 insights from New York Times bestseller Read Write Own
Original Source: a16z Crypto
Original Translation: Scof, ChainCatchert
This article features some insightful excerpts from the new book "Read Write Own: Blockchain Network Trends and Potential to Unlock the Web3 Paradigm" by Chris Dixon, founder and general partner at a16z Crypto. The content is compiled from relevant a16z tweets. Here is the translation of the original text:
Looking for a deeper understanding of the world of technology, business, and startups? Want to explore the history and future of the internet? Need a concise explanation of cryptocurrency, the blockchain movement, and its significance? We have the answers for you.
Here, we have selected the sharpest excerpts and most provocative points from the bestselling book "Read Write Own" by Chris Dixon, founder and general partner at a16z Crypto. This book is dense with information, delving into the hidden structures that govern how money and power flow on the network. Leveraging his decades of experience investing in startups, author Chris Dixon reveals how the networks that dominate our lives operate and how to restructure these networks to empower internet users as true owners.
The insights presented in "Read Write Own" offer a fresh perspective on business and life—from nurturing innovation, to seizing disruptive opportunities, to boldly betting on non-mainstream directions. Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, described this book as a "remarkable vision of the future of the internet and its path to realization." Whether you are passionate about the crypto space, just starting to explore, or simply curious about the turbulence in this field, this book will bring value to you.
Here are some of the most compelling excerpts from the book, each containing valuable insights:
1. The Essence of "Permission"
In business, seeking permission is not as straightforward as asking your parents or teacher for approval, where you can simply receive a "yes" or "no" answer; nor is it as clear-cut as traffic signals dictating the rules of the road. In the business world, permission often becomes a disguised tyranny. Dominant tech companies use the power of "permission" to block competition, disrupt markets, and extract value.
2. Software as Art
Software is extraordinarily expressive, and rather than seeing it as a product of the engineering field, it is better to view it as an art form. The malleability and flexibility of code provide a vast design space, a breadth of possibility closer to creative activities like sculpture or novel writing than to engineering practices like bridge-building. Like other art forms, practitioners in the software field continuously pioneer new genres and movements, fundamentally expanding the boundaries of possibility.
3. Problems Solved by Blockchain
Blockchain can make strong commitments about its future behavior, enabling the creation of entirely new networks. Blockchain networks address many issues present in early network architectures: they can connect people, build social networks while empowering users, rather than letting corporate interests dominate; they can support marketplaces and payment networks, facilitating commercial activities while significantly reducing intermediary costs; they can also foster new forms of monetizable media, interoperability, and immersive digital worlds that reward creators rather than exploit them with AI products...
Asking "What problems does blockchain solve?" is like asking "What problems does steel solve compared to wood?" You can build structures or railways with either wood or steel, but steel allowed us to construct taller buildings, sturdier railways, and grander public works during the early days of the Industrial Revolution. Similarly, through blockchain, we can create fairer, more sustainable, more resilient networks with broader horizons compared to today's network systems.
4. A New Era of the Internet
Our current decisions will determine the future of the internet: who builds, owns, and uses the internet; where innovation will happen; and how everyone's user experience will be. Blockchain and the networks it supports unleash the extraordinary power of software as an art form, with the internet becoming its canvas. This transformative movement has the opportunity to rewrite history, reshape the relationship between humanity and the digital world, redefine possibilities... It is an opportunity to create an ideal internet, rather than passively accepting the inherited internet.
5. The Supremacy of Networks
Network design determines destiny.
A network is an organizational framework that enables billions of people to interact orderly. It determines the world's winners and losers, with its algorithms guiding the flow of capital and attention. The structure of a network not only directs its own development but also determines the concentration of wealth and power. Given the scale of today's internet, even seemingly insignificant software design decisions could have profound ripple effects. When analyzing the power dynamics of the internet, "who controls a particular network" is the most critical question.
6. Protocol vs. Enterprise
The difference between a protocol network, such as email, and an enterprise network, like Twitter, is that the network effect of email belongs to a community rather than a specific company. Email is not owned or controlled by any company; anyone can access it using software created by independent developers that support the underlying protocol. Developers and users are free to decide what to build and what to use. The decisions that affect the community are also collectively made by the community itself.
7. Impact of New Technology
There are primarily two ways people use new technology: (1) to do things they could already do but now can do faster, cheaper, simpler, or with higher quality, and (2) to do entirely new things that were previously impossible. In the early stages of technological development, the first type of application is usually more popular, but the ones that have a lasting impact on the world are often the second type.
8. Corporate-Controlled Internet
The structure of an enterprise network is very simple: it is controlled by a single company that provides centralized services to the network. This company has absolute control and can modify the terms of service at any time and for any reason, decide who can access the network, and govern how funds flow.
Enterprise networks are centralized because ultimately all rules are determined by one person, typically the CEO.
9. Blockchain as a Contrarian Bet
Blockchain is unique. It is a contrarian bet. Despite many people (myself included) recognizing its potential, mainstream institutions often overlook it. In fact, the prevalent view in the tech industry is that only the technology improvements already focused on by incumbents matter, such as larger databases, faster processors, bigger neural networks, and smaller devices. This perspective is myopic.
10. How Hobbies Drive Future Industries
Unlike mainstream technologies, "outsider" technologies often emerge from the fringes. They are propelled by hobbyists, tech enthusiasts, open-source developers, and startup founders, incubating and growing outside the mainstream. These endeavors often involve less capital and formal training, leveling the playing field to some extent with industry insiders. However, the lower barriers also lead insiders to underestimate these technologies and their proponents.
Hobbies are the catalyst for future industries. Hobbies are often what the smartest people work on when unconstrained by short-term economic goals. I like to say that what the smartest people do on weekends will be what others do during the workweek ten years later.
11. The Simplicity of Tokens
What a token "is" is far less important than what it "can do."
A token can represent ownership of any digital asset, including money, art, photos, music, text, code, in-game items, voting rights, access rights, or even anything people might come up with in the future. With some additional building blocks, they can also represent real-world items such as physical goods, real estate, or dollars in a bank account. Anything that can be represented in code can be wrapped in a token for purposes of buying, selling, using, storing, embedding, transferring, or any other use.
If this sounds too simple or even trivial, that is precisely the intention of token design—simplicity is a virtue.
12. Owner vs. User
The concept of ownership is so deeply ingrained in our lives that we can hardly imagine what the world would be like without it.
Imagine if the clothes you bought could only be worn on the occasion of purchase; if you couldn't resell or reinvest in your house and car; or if you had to change your name every time you went somewhere? This is the digital world built by today's corporate networks.
13. Blockchain as a City
The functionality of blockchain has striking similarities to urban planning.
Launching a blockchain network is like building a new city on undeveloped land. City designers construct some initial buildings, then design a system of land allocation and tax incentives to attract residents and developers. Property rights—i.e., ownership—play a key role, providing property owners with a strong commitment: they will always own their property and can confidently invest in it. As the city grows, the tax base widens. Taxes are reinvested in public projects like streets, parks, more land is allocated, and the city continues to expand.
14. Restoring Community through Tokens
Blockchain networks embed community ownership deep into their core design, almost as if it's in their DNA.
While meme coin variants like Dogecoin may seem like a joke, they demonstrate how users seek community through various tokens (whether humorous or serious) to fill the sense of belonging and connection in the digital world.
These tokens are not just technical tools; they have become a way for people to rally around a community. By holding these tokens, users become participants and owners of the community, not just consumers. This design empowers users, disrupting the control traditionally dominated by centralized companies in the platform economy, creating possibilities for more decentralized, goal-oriented communities.
15. Blockchain as Network Constitution
Network designers can use blockchain to create formal rules enforced by code. These rules act as a network's constitution. The content of the constitution can be the subject of debate, discussion, and experimentation, but the mere existence of it and the ability to embed rules into immutable software represent an unprecedented advancement. This was not achievable in previous network designs.
16. The Two Cultures of Cryptocurrency
There exist two starkly different cultures interested in blockchain.
The first culture sees blockchain as a way to build a new type of network... I refer to this culture as the **"computing"** culture because its core idea is that blockchain is driving a new kind of computational revolution.
The other culture is primarily interested in speculation and making money. People in this mindset view blockchain solely as a tool to create new tokens for trading. I call this culture the **"casino"** culture because at its core, it's all about gambling.
But the "casino" culture should not drag down the "computing" culture.
Additional Section: The Good Old Days
Blockchain is at the forefront of computing development, much like personal computers in the 1980s, the internet in the 1990s, and mobile phones in the 2010s.
Today, people look back on classic moments in computing history, imagining scenes from that time—Noyce and Moore, Jobs and Wozniak, Page and Brin. Those amateur enthusiasts exploring, debating, and driving technological advancements, those creators who spent nights and weekends "coding."
It may seem late, but it's actually early. Now is the best time to reimagine what the internet can be and what it can do. Software is an unparalleled innovation playground. You don't have to accept the current state of the internet you find; you can create something better... as a builder, creator, user, and most importantly, as an owner.
You are here now. This is the "Good Old Days."
You may also like
AI Trading's Ultimate Test: Empower Your AI Strategy with Tencent Cloud to Win $1.88M & a Bentley
AI traders! Win $1.88M & a Bentley by crushing WEEX's live-market challenge. Tencent Cloud powers your AI Trading bot - can it survive the Feb 9 finals?

Russia’s Largest Bitcoin Miner BitRiver Faces Bankruptcy Crisis – What Went Wrong?
Key Takeaways BitRiver, the largest Bitcoin mining operator in Russia, faces a bankruptcy crisis due to unresolved debts…

Polymarket Predicts Over 70% Chance Bitcoin Will Drop Below $65K
Key Takeaways Polymarket bettors forecast a 71% chance for Bitcoin to fall below $65,000 by 2026. Strong bearish…

BitMine Reports 4.285M ETH Holdings, Expands Staked Position With Massive Reward Outlook
Key Takeaways BitMine Immersion Technologies holds 4,285,125 ETH, which is approximately 3.55% of Ethereum’s total supply. The company…

US Liquidity Crisis Sparked $250B Crash, Not a ‘Broken’ Crypto Market: Analyst
Key Takeaways: A massive $250 billion crash shook the cryptocurrency markets, attributed largely to liquidity issues in the…

Vitalik Advocates for Anonymous Voting in Ethereum’s Governance — A Solution to Attacks?
Key Takeaways Vitalik Buterin proposes a two-layer governance framework utilizing anonymous voting to address collusion and capture attacks,…

South Korea Utilizes AI to Pursue Unfair Crypto Trading: Offenders Face Severe Penalties
Key Takeaways South Korea is intensifying its use of AI to crack down on unfair cryptocurrency trading practices.…

Average Bitcoin ETF Investor Turns Underwater After Major Outflows
Key Takeaways: U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs hold approximately $113 billion in assets, equivalent to around 1.28 million BTC.…

Japan’s Biggest Wealth Manager Adjusts Crypto Strategy After Q3 Setbacks
Key Takeaways Nomura Holdings, Japan’s leading wealth management firm, scales back its crypto involvement following significant third-quarter losses.…

CFTC Regulatory Shift Could Unlock New Opportunities for Coinbase Prediction Markets
Key Takeaways: The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is focusing on clearer regulations for crypto-linked prediction markets,…

Hong Kong Set to Approve First Stablecoin Licenses in March — Who’s In?
Key Takeaways Hong Kong’s financial regulator, the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), is on the verge of approving…

BitRiver Founder and CEO Igor Runets Detained Over Tax Evasion Charges
Key Takeaways: Russian authorities have detained Igor Runets, CEO of BitRiver, on allegations of tax evasion. Runets is…

Crypto Investment Products Struggle with $1.7B Outflows Amid Market Turmoil
Key Takeaways: The recent $1.7 billion outflow in the crypto investment sector represents a second consecutive week of…

Why Is Crypto Down Today? – February 2, 2026
Key Takeaways: The crypto market has seen a downturn today, with a significant decrease of 2.9% in the…

Nevada Court Temporarily Bars Polymarket From Offering Contracts in the State
Key Takeaways A Nevada state court has temporarily restrained Polymarket from offering event contracts in the state, citing…

Bitcoin Falls Below $80K As Warsh Named Fed Chair, Triggers $2.5B Liquidation
Key Takeaways Bitcoin’s price tumbled below the crucial $80,000 mark following the announcement of Kevin Warsh as the…

Strategy’s Bitcoin Holdings Face $900M in Losses as BTC Slips Below $76K
Key Takeaways Strategy Inc., led by Michael Saylor, faces over $900 million in unrealized losses as Bitcoin price…

Trump-Linked Crypto Company Secures $500M UAE Investment, Sparking Conflict Concerns
Key Takeaways A Trump-affiliated crypto company, World Liberty Financial, has garnered $500 million from UAE investors, igniting conflict…
AI Trading's Ultimate Test: Empower Your AI Strategy with Tencent Cloud to Win $1.88M & a Bentley
AI traders! Win $1.88M & a Bentley by crushing WEEX's live-market challenge. Tencent Cloud powers your AI Trading bot - can it survive the Feb 9 finals?
Russia’s Largest Bitcoin Miner BitRiver Faces Bankruptcy Crisis – What Went Wrong?
Key Takeaways BitRiver, the largest Bitcoin mining operator in Russia, faces a bankruptcy crisis due to unresolved debts…
Polymarket Predicts Over 70% Chance Bitcoin Will Drop Below $65K
Key Takeaways Polymarket bettors forecast a 71% chance for Bitcoin to fall below $65,000 by 2026. Strong bearish…
BitMine Reports 4.285M ETH Holdings, Expands Staked Position With Massive Reward Outlook
Key Takeaways BitMine Immersion Technologies holds 4,285,125 ETH, which is approximately 3.55% of Ethereum’s total supply. The company…
US Liquidity Crisis Sparked $250B Crash, Not a ‘Broken’ Crypto Market: Analyst
Key Takeaways: A massive $250 billion crash shook the cryptocurrency markets, attributed largely to liquidity issues in the…
Vitalik Advocates for Anonymous Voting in Ethereum’s Governance — A Solution to Attacks?
Key Takeaways Vitalik Buterin proposes a two-layer governance framework utilizing anonymous voting to address collusion and capture attacks,…