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Trust Revolution

Trust Revolution

By: Shawn Yeager
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 Trust is unraveling—institutions falter, headlines deceive, and centralized power’s grip is weakening. A new reality’s emerging: decentralized protocols like Bitcoin and Nostr, along with privacy-preserving technologies, are rewriting the rules. Trust Revolution digs in with unfiltered conversations—tech rebels slashing data grabs, whistleblowers exposing flaws, officials rejecting overreach, and contrarians defending the old guard. From cypherpunk pioneers to grounded business leaders, we unpack how economies and societies are shifting.© 2025 Shawn Yeager. Made in Nashville. Economics
Episodes
  • S01E08 Rishad Tobaccowala

    S01E08 Rishad Tobaccowala
    Jun 4 2025
    Rishad Tobaccowala, futurist and author of Rethinking Work, joins Shawn to unravel the dynamics of power, talent, and trust in a decentralized, AI-driven future. This conversation exposes the seismic shifts dismantling traditional jobs, the rise of talent over capital, and why trust—rooted in truth and integrity—is the ultimate currency for brands and leaders. From technology’s promise to demographic realities, Rishad delivers a wake-up call for navigating the unbundled world of work.

    Background

    Rishad Tobaccowala, a global strategist, spearheaded digital transformation at Publicis Groupe for 37 years. Now a speaker, advisor, and author of Rethinking Work and Restoring the Soul of Business, he guides leaders on technology and human values. His Substack, with 30,000+ subscribers including global CxOs, offers sharp insights. Key lessons from his work include decentralizing work, empowering talent over capital, and building trust through integrity in an AI age.

    Highlights
    • Peak Jobs Are Over: By 2030, U.S. jobs could drop by a third due to automation, but work will explode outside traditional roles, driven by a 1.6 fertility rate and technologies like AI and blockchain.
    • Five Forces Unbundling Work: Societal/demographic shifts, technology (AI, blockchain, XR), marketplaces (Upwork, Etsy), gig work, and COVID’s redefinition of purpose decentralize work.
    • Trust as Currency: AI becomes table stakes; trust, built on integrity (aligned words, beliefs, actions, and truth), sets brands and leaders apart.
    • Talent Trumps Capital: Technology empowers individuals to own content and data via platforms like Substack and blockchain, shifting power to “companies of one.”
    • 2027 Ecosystem: A “whales” (e.g., NVIDIA) and “plankton” (small firms) model emerges, with fewer employees and AI-driven strategies.
    Quotes to Remember
    • “We’ve seen peak jobs… by the end of this decade, we will have maybe a third fewer jobs than currently exist.”
    • “Trust is what somebody earns… integrity is when what you say, what you believe, and what you do are completely aligned. And is it true?”
    • “Technology is the leverage that allows David to bring down Goliath. Power is moving to talent over capital.”
    • “The future is already here, but it’s not evenly distributed… Talent is evenly distributed, but opportunity is not.” (paraphrasing William Gibson)
    Resources & Links
    • Rethinking Work by Rishad Tobaccowala (HarperCollins): https://www.harpercollins.com/products/rethinking-work-rishad-tobaccowala
    • Restoring the Soul of Business by Rishad Tobaccowala (HarperCollins): https://www.harpercollins.com/products/restoring-the-soul-of-business-rishad-tobaccowala
    • Rishad Tobaccowala’s Substack: https://rishad.substack.com
    • Rishad on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rishadtobaccowala/
    • Rishad’s website: https://rishadtobaccowala.com/
    Subscribe: https://podcast.trustrevolution.co

    Music in this episode by More Ghost Than Man.
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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • S01E07 Fran

    S01E07 Fran
    May 28 2025
    In this Trust Revolution episode, Shawn Yeager and Fran, the Buenos Aires-based creator of Zapstore, explore the chokehold of centralized app stores. Fran details how Apple and Google’s control stifles innovation and erodes trust, then unveils Zapstore, a Nostr-powered, decentralized solution with cryptographic security and social trust layers. This 65-minute conversation spans the frustrations of arbitrary curation to the promise of AI-driven “vibe-coded” apps, showing how decentralized systems can reclaim power for users and developers.

    About Fran

    Fran is a full-stack software engineer with nearly two decades of experience, from Java in the 2000s to modern mobile frameworks. Based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he’s the creator of Zapstore, a decentralized app store launched in May 2024 on the Nostr protocol. Driven by frustration with centralized app stores’ control, Fran’s work empowers users and developers with secure, censorship-resistant software distribution. A participant in the first Sovereign Engineering cohort in Madeira, he’s a vocal advocate for privacy and autonomy, blending technical expertise with a vision for a freer digital ecosystem.
    • X Profile: @FranOnNostr
    • Nostr: fran@primal.net
    • Zapstore: Zapstore
    Quotes to Remember
    • “The biggest problem is we can’t change the curator, and that creates resentment on both sides.” — Fran
    • “With centralized stores, the filters feel random, like they’re just flexing power.” — Fran
    • “ZapStore uses Nostr to sign apps, so you know they’re from the developer, not some middleman.” — Fran
    • “A free market of catalogs means no one can misbehave without losing trust.” — Fran
    • “In the future, AI will let anyone vibe-code apps, breaking the app store monopoly.” — Fran
    Resources & Links
    • Zapstore Website: Discover Zapstore’s decentralized app store for Android and explore its mission to empower users. Zapstore
    • Nostr Protocol: Learn about the decentralized protocol behind ZapStore’s censorship-resistant app distribution. nostr.com
    • Fran’s Blog Post: Read Fran’s detailed analysis of centralized app store flaws and Nostr’s potential to fix app distribution. Zapstore/blog
    Subscribe: https://podcast.trustrevolution.co

    Music in this episode by More Ghost Than Man.
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    1 hr and 9 mins
  • S01E06 Bronwyn Williams

    S01E06 Bronwyn Williams
    May 21 2025
    In this hard-hitting episode of Trust Revolution, Shawn sits down with Bronwyn Williams, a South African futurist and economist, to dissect the collapse of trust in centralized systems. Bronwyn analyzes how globalization and technology challenge institutional credibility, using South Africa’s governance struggles as a backdrop. She critiques AI’s centralizing risks, questions Bitcoin’s decentralized promise, and discusses ways businesses and individuals can rebuild trust. This conversation unravels the dynamics of power and agency in a low-trust world.

    About Bronwyn Williams

    Bronwyn Williams is a futurist, economist, and partner at Flux Trends, a leading consultancy focused on strategic foresight and trend analysis. Based in Johannesburg, she brings nearly two decades of experience advising global public and private sector clients on fintech, alternative economic models, and sustainable futures. She is the author of Rescuing Our Republic, a book tackling South Africa’s systemic crises, and co-author of The Future Starts Now (Bloomsbury UK), which explores global trends shaping the future. A sought-after speaker and media commentator on platforms like CNBC Africa and eNCA, she also runs What The Future Now?, unpacking chaos theory and future scenarios.

    Quotes to Remember
    • “Institutions work as long as they give people what they want.” — Bronwyn Williams
    • “Democracy is governance by the governed, not a menu of services.” — Bronwyn Williams
    • “Automate away your costs, not your value.” — Bronwyn Williams
    • “Money is an illusion… Power equals money, not the other way around.” — Bronwyn Williams
    • “Bitcoin opened Pandora’s box… It accelerated CBDCs.” — Bronwyn Williams
    Resources & Links
    • Book: Rescuing Our Republic by Bronwyn Williams – Analysis of South Africa’s governance challenges.
    • Book: The Future Starts Now by Bronwyn Williams – Exploring future trends and economic models.
    • Book: The Human Experience by John Sills – Insights on building trust in business.
    • Follow Bronwyn on X.
    • Flux Trends: fluxtrends.com for her trend reports.
    • Blog: What The Future Now? for chaos theory and future insights.
    Subscribe: https://podcast.trustrevolution.co

    Music in this episode by More Ghost Than Man.
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    1 hr and 4 mins

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