[p2p-research] Blog on Political Economy of P2P

Sun May 24 09:21:49 CEST 2009

ok, I emailed john ...

On 5/24/09, Ryan Lanham <rlanham1963 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Hi Michel:
>
> Source:
>
>  John Hagel <http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=527217336&ref=mf> Gary
> Rieschel: $29 invested so far by VC's in Web 2.0 companies without a single
> successful IPO so far
> Thu 4:42pm<http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=527217336&v=feed&story_fbid=82614767299&ref=mf>· via
> Twitter <http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=2231777543> ·
> Comment · Like <http://www.facebook.com/home.php?src=fftb#>
>
> He then added a twitter saying it meant billion.
>
> I said 27...the number is 29...2 billion USD more.
>
>
> Ryan Lanham
> rlanham1963 at gmail.com
> Facebook: Ryan_Lanham
>
>
>
> On Sat, May 23, 2009 at 1:35 AM, Michel Bauwens <michelsub2004 at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> Hi Ryan,
>>
>> Could you flesh out the the source of that paragraph?
>>
>> As you know, this feeds our (with Adam in cc)  'crisis of value'
>> hypothesis
>>
>> i.e.
>>
>>  <Here is a stunning statistic from a leading venture capitalist (I can
>> give the exact source if anyone needs it but I don't have it at my
>> fingertips...)  $27 Billion USD have been invested in Web 2.0 firms.  Guess
>> how much has been realized from either profit returns or IPOs so far?
>> Zero.  Zilch.  Not one penny.  That is devistating to capitalists...even
>> they don't understand it...but it appears that firms like Facebook and the
>> whole raft of Web 2.0 firms are effectively operating as non-profits.  Very
>> odd times for the market economy.>
>>
>>
>>
>>   On 5/22/09, Ryan Lanham <rlanham1963 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Schumpeter famously described capitalism as creative destruction.  He
>>> meant that it is so hard to stay on top that innovation constantly destroys
>>> the less than sharp.  It is probably true.  Wealth management allows people
>>> to stay rich, but their productivity must come from investment.  Now that
>>> cash flows are difficult (long-term) that is even becoming extremely hard.
>>>
>>> The best answer to economics is education.  Smart, scientifically
>>> educated people win.  Asia is winning.  Africa will win next.  The key for
>>> poor countries is to eliminate the incredibly high costs of corruption.
>>> Corruption destroys far more wealth than anything else on the planet--far
>>> more.  A country like Jamaica which was exceedingly promising has been
>>> completely destroyed by corruption--so too Burma, Kenya, Zimbabwe, etc.  If
>>> you hate poverty and inequality, hate corruption.
>>>
>>> But monopoly power is unlikely in a framework where you don't have
>>> corrupt power because systems innovate vastly more quickly than they did in
>>> Marx's time.  Just look at PCs and software which change almost daily.
>>> Innovation is the friend of the smart and the fair...and the commons must
>>> continually innovate to stay relevant...another strength of P2P.
>>>
>>> Here is a stunning statistic from a leading venture capitalist (I can
>>> give the exact source if anyone needs it but I don't have it at my
>>> fingertips...)  $27 Billion USD have been invested in Web 2.0 firms.  Guess
>>> how much has been realized from either profit returns or IPOs so far?
>>> Zero.  Zilch.  Not one penny.  That is devistating to capitalists...even
>>> they don't understand it...but it appears that firms like Facebook and the
>>> whole raft of Web 2.0 firms are effectively operating as non-profits.  Very
>>> odd times for the market economy.
>>>
>>> Ryan
>>>
>>>
>>>  On Fri, May 22, 2009 at 4:31 AM, Tomas Rawlings <tom at fluffylogic.net>wrote:
>>>
>>>> I've always felt this is a major hole in capitalism; that all companies
>>>> aim for monopoly, which destroys competition.
>>>> In addition while competing against other companies using better
>>>> products, price and services is one method to achieve this monopoly (and the
>>>> one in theory companies are supposed to use), once a company reaches a
>>>> certain size, other options become open to it; competing using legal and
>>>> financial muscle, so 'buying' legal influence to alter the business
>>>> environment to favour you and disenfranchise your competitors, buying then
>>>> closing competing companies and dramatic temporarily price wars to knock the
>>>> competition out of the game.
>>>>
>>>> In a post-capitalist economy where much of the wealth resides in a
>>>> commons; I guess it could be the commons that has the monopoly position,
>>>> thereby fixing this problem?
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Monopoly is a major problem in capitalism.  It necessitates regulatory
>>>>> workarounds.  Socialism assumes government or "people's" monopolies
>>>>> also
>>>>> leading to various problems.  In those cases, there is no one to
>>>>> regulate
>>>>> the state.  My own view is that state monopolies make good sense where
>>>>> service-provider commitment is essential or where equality of output is
>>>>> valued above all.
>>>>>
>>>>> Certain functions, I believe, are ideally fulfilled by the
>>>>> state--national
>>>>> defense, policing, certain banking functions, certain social service
>>>>> functions, public health functions, certain basic health services, some
>>>>> types of insurance services, prisons, etc.
>>>>>
>>>>> What I think is emerging is a poly-system of modes where various
>>>>> production
>>>>> mechanisms are optimizing to fit the ecosystem--economies are evolving
>>>>> to be
>>>>> more than one thing at once--capalist/socialist/anarchist/polyarchist,
>>>>> etc.
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Tomas
>>>>
>>>> -----------------------
>>>> Tomas Rawlings
>>>> Development Director, FluffyLogic Development Ltd.
>>>> web: www.fluffylogic.net
>>>> tel: 0117 9442233 -
>>>> Also see:
>>>> blog: www.plugincinema.com
>>>> tweet: www.twitter.com/arclightfire
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>  --
>> Working at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhurakij_Pundit_University -
>> http://www.dpu.ac.th/dpuic/info/Research.html -
>> http://www.asianforesightinstitute.org/index.php/eng/The-AFI
>>
>> Volunteering at the P2P Foundation:
>> http://p2pfoundation.net  - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net -
>> http://p2pfoundation.ning.com
>>
>> Monitor updates at http://del.icio.us/mbauwens
>>
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>> http://www.shiftn.com/
>>
>
>

-- 
Working at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dhurakij_Pundit_University -
http://www.dpu.ac.th/dpuic/info/Research.html -
http://www.asianforesightinstitute.org/index.php/eng/The-AFI

Volunteering at the P2P Foundation:
http://p2pfoundation.net  - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net -
http://p2pfoundation.ning.com

Monitor updates at http://del.icio.us/mbauwens

The work of the P2P Foundation is supported by SHIFTN,
http://www.shiftn.com/
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