Network Societies, Civic Tech & Democracy - Glen Weyl & Timour Kosters at Edge City Austin
Glen Weyl builds new social technologies for collective decision-making, plural coordination, and democratic innovation. He leads the Plurality Institute and co-founded RadicalxChange to turn experimental ideas into institutional prototypes.In this conversation, Glen Weyl and host Timour Kosters explore the intersection of technology, democracy, and civic infrastructure. From Taiwan’s civic tech to new models of money and collective decision-making, this chat covers the intellectual foundations of the Plurality movement.Recorded at Edge City Austin, held in Austin, TX, from March 2-7, 2025. LinksGlen Weyl: https://glenweyl.com/Timour Kosters: https://x.com/timourxyz About Edge CityEdge City convenes people working at the frontiers of tech, science, and society in popup villages across the globe.Follow Edge City on Twitter: https://x.com/JoinEdgeCity Learn more about Edge City: https://edgecity.live Chapters(00:00) Glen Weyl's work and the vision for Edge City(01:43) The growing chasm between technology & democracy(04:46) From Star Trek to Snow Crash, the cultural collapse of future visions(06:18) Two threats to democracy: chaos and control(09:54) Network societies vs. network states(12:01) The 3 political ideologies of the 21st century(15:22) Why Plurality is the most viable path(18:05) Lessons from Taiwan - GovZero, Pol.is & civic tech(22:50) Japan’s AI-augmented grassroots politics(31:53) New models of money(37:18) Designing experiments at Edge City popup villages(44:25) Decentralized governance, power vacuums & quadratic voting(53:04) Community currencies and plural governance models(58:35) From temporary popup village to permanent city(01:03:52) Integration, not exit(01:12:11) Identity and community recovery(01:15:49) Mathematics and Plurality, final thoughts
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1:21:47
Kevin Owocki & Rena O'Brien: From Gitcoin to Allo - The Case for Onchain Capital Coordination
Kevin Owocki is the founder of Gitcoin and co-founder of Allo Capital, focused on regenerative crypto economics. Rena O'Brien is a web3 strategist and DAO builder with experience spanning Gitcoin and global capital networks.In this episode, Kevin and Rena explore why onchain capital allocation matters—and how programmable money can transform how we fund public goods, startups, and impact at scale. They discuss new coordination tools, the philosophy behind capital as a force for good, and what it might look like to fund “missions not markets” in the years ahead.If you're curious about the future of funding, DAOs, or the next layer of crypto beyond speculation, this one's for you.LinksKevin Owocki: https://x.com/owockiRena O'Brien: https://www.linkedin.com/in/renaobrienAllo Capital: https://www.allo.capital Timour Kosters: https://x.com/timourxyz About Edge City Edge City convenes people working at the frontiers of tech, science, and society in popup villages across the globe.Follow Edge City on Twitter: https://x.com/JoinEdgeCity Learn more about Edge City: https://edgecity.live Chapters(00:00) Introduction(02:51) Why Tokenized Capital Allocation?(05:26) The 8 Forms of Capital Explained(08:59) The Impact of Gitcoin(10:18) What’s Broken with Capital Allocation Today?(14:25) The Case for Onchain Allocation Systems(17:50) Introducing Allo Capital(21:17) Funding Local Projects with AlloIRL(28:01) Relevance to Edge City(39:36) Owocki's New Book: How to DAO(46:36) Gitcoin as DAO(54:57) Popup Villages & Human Flourishing
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1:02:24
Why You Should Build the Magically Weird: The Long Journey Residency at Edge Esmeralda
In this conversation, we discuss why building the absurd before it becomes consensus is crucial for a flourishing future. Our guests are Lee Jacobs, Cyan Banister, Arielle Zuckerberg, and Z. Mike Wang from Long Journey VC. LinksMore info on Edge Esmeralda: https://www.edgeesmeralda.com More info on the Long Journey Residency: https://www.edgecity.live/blog/introducing-the-long-journey-residency-at-edge-esmeralda-2025 This is an edited recording from a live conversation on X Spaces: https://x.com/i/spaces/1LyxBWDQdVEKN/peek About Edge CityEdge City convenes people working at the frontiers of tech, science, and society in popup villages across the globe.Follow Edge City: https://x.com/JoinEdgeCity Learn more: https://edgecity.live SocialsJanine Leger: https://x.com/JanineLeger Timour Kosters: https://x.com/timourxyz Long Journey: https://x.com/LongJourneyVC Lee Jacobs: https://x.com/LeeJacobs Cyan Banister: https://x.com/cyantist Arielle Zuckerberg: https://x.com/ariellezuck Mike Wang: https://x.com/zmwang Chapters(00:00) Why the Best Ideas Look Absurd (Until They Don’t)(01:19) The Long Journey Origin Story(06:19) From Zuzalu to Edge City: Building Experimental Villages(09:41) What to Expect at Edge Esmeralda 2025(14:15) Inside the Long Journey Residency: A Pre-Accelerator for Wild Ideas(18:56) From Crazy to Consensus: How Big Ideas Take Off(23:10) Why We Need Spaces Like Edge City Now
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30:19
Brink Lindsey: Human Flourishing, the Triple Crisis, and Societal Experiments
What does it mean to lead a flourishing life, and how can we create a flourishing society? In this episode, Brink Lindsey dives deep into these fundamental questions, exploring the intersection of individual well-being and societal health.We discuss the "triple crisis" of inclusion, dynamism, and political dysfunction and its impact on progress. Brink unpacks the tension between material prosperity and true human flourishing, offering insights into how agency, respect, and innovation can guide us toward a better future.LinksBrink Lindsey: https://x.com/lindsey_brinkTimour Kosters: https://x.com/timourxyzEdge City convenes people working at the frontiers of tech, science, and society in popup villages across the globe.Follow Edge City on Twitter: https://x.com/JoinEdgeCityLearn more about Edge City: https://edgecity.live/Chapters(00:00) Introduction(02:05) Brink on "The Permanent Problem"(04:05) Keynes’ Predictions on Work Hours and Wealth(11:46) The Crisis of Governance and Social Trust(17:01) Defining Human Flourishing(24:33) The Triple Crisis (Inclusion, Dynamism & Politics)(34:33) Barriers to Technological Innovation(42:48) Reconciling Environmentalism with Technological Growth(51:41) Reviving Community in the Age of Individualism(59:36) Building Decentralized Futures(01:08:10) Reflections on Edge City Lanna
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1:09:53
Matt Prewitt: Social Technology, Community Currencies, and RadicalxChange
We chat with Matt Prewitt from RadicalxChange about rethinking communities through intentional design and social technology. The conversation explores various types of intentional communities, including affinity communities, individualist escape communities, and responsible experimenters.Matt highlights how responsible experimentation can create more sustainable and impactful spaces and argues that mutual vulnerability is essential for building trust and shared identity. This is illustrated by RadicalxChange's use of community currencies like "∈dges" at Edge City’s pop-up villages, an experiment to incentivize local exchange and keeping value circulating in the community.The chat closes with ideas on how such social technologies can cultivate human flourishing by combining global connectedness with robust, locally supportive systems.LinksMatt Prewitt: https://x.com/m_t_prewittTimour Kosters: https://x.com/timourxyzRadicalxChange: https://www.radicalxchange.org/Edge City: https://twitter.com/joinedgecityEdge City Lanna: https://www.edgecity.live/lannaChapters(00:00) Introduction(02:14) RadicalxChange’s Mission and Theory of Change(06:45) Georg Simmel and the Power of Secrecy in Communities(14:23) Three Types of New Community Initiatives(24:53) The Importance of Social Technology(33:29) Associative Obligations and Mutual Vulnerability(47:42) Reimagining Money: Community Currencies(59:35) Lessons from Community Currency Experiments(1:11:36) Community Currency Experiment at Edge City(1:21:43) Pop-up Villages and the Future of Intentional Communities(1:24:53) Human Flourishing
Welcome to the Edge City Podcast, where we explore ideas and projects pushing the boundaries of tech, science, and culture. You'll hear about experimental communities, scientific breakthroughs, and social experiments. By the end of each episode, you'll have a clear understanding of an important idea that's set to shape our future.
Edge City creates popup villages that bring together people working at the frontiers of tech, science, and society across the globe. These serve as living labs for experimentation and innovation, all dedicated to accelerating human flourishing.
South Africa