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

Morning Report | BitMine increased its holdings by 126,971 ETH last week; trader Eugene announced his exit from the crypto market

Wang Chuan: How can one not feel anxious after the neighbor Old Wang made thirty times profit by investing in storage stocks? (Seven) - A quarter-century cycle

Cryptocurrency CEXs are flocking to sell US stocks, and traditional brokerages are facing an "uninvited guest."

$75 billion in foreign capital has fled, and South Korean retail investors have absorbed it all using leverage

Japan’s Three Megabanks Plan Joint Stablecoin Issuance in Fiscal 2026
MUFG, SMBC, and Mizuho reportedly plan to jointly issue fiat-pegged stablecoins in fiscal 2026, signaling Japan’s growing push into bank-led digital payment infrastructure.

Humanity Discloses H Token Dual-Chain Attack Details, With Losses on Ethereum and BSC Exceeding $36 Million
Humanity said the H token attack across Ethereum and BSC caused more than $36 million in losses after leaked ProxyAdmin keys enabled malicious contract upgrades and token minting.

White House Discusses CLARITY Act With Law Enforcement Ahead of Senate Vote
The White House discussed the CLARITY Act with law enforcement ahead of a Senate vote, focusing on illicit finance risks and developer protections.

Bitcoin Trading Guide 2026: Strategies for Experienced Traders

What Is XAUT and PAXG? Why Tokenized Gold Is Booming in 2026

Will the SpaceX IPO Hurt Bitcoin? Here's What Traders Are Watching

Foreign selling in the South Korean stock market accelerates, with cumulative net sales reportedly reaching $75 billion this year
On June 9, The Kobeissi Letter, citing Goldman Sachs data, reported that global investors are selling South Korean stocks at an unusually rapid pace. In the latest trading session, foreign investors sold about $801 million worth of Kospi constituent stocks again; total foreign outflows last week reached about $10 billion, and the market has been in net foreign selling on nearly every trading day over the past month. According to the data cited in the report, foreign investors have sold about $75 billion worth of South Korean stocks so far this year. Meanwhile, South Korean retail and institutional investors together recorded roughly $69 billion in net buying over the same period, suggesting that the market’s main buying support has come from domestic capital rather than returning overseas funds. The information currently disclosed still mainly comes from The Kobeissi Letter’s retelling and Goldman Sachs data summaries, while public details on the statistical period and the specific definition of “selling” remain relatively limited.

Fortune Warns of Strategy’s Financing Structure Risks as Bitcoin Premium Narrows
Fortune warned that Strategy’s Bitcoin treasury model faces growing financing risks as MSTR’s net asset premium narrows and preferred stock dividend pressure increases.

Ferrari Challenge Le Mans: Carl Moon to Dominate in WEEX Livery

Sahara AI Responds to SAHARA’s Sharp Drop: No Contract or Product Security Issues Found, Internal Investigation Underway
Sahara AI responded to SAHARA’s 60% price drop, saying no token contract or product security issues have been found and an internal investigation is underway.

WEEX Deposit/Withdrawal Dynamic Island: Your Asset Status, Always in Sight

Scaling Crypto Derivatives: The Digital Asset Infrastructure Behind High-Volume Trading
In the fast-moving digital asset ecosystem, derivatives platforms face an extreme architectural test. High-leverage futures markets demand more than just standard security—they require absolute operational precision, zero-latency matching engines, and ironclad structural scalability, all while navigating intense market volatility.
As global platforms scale to meet these demands, the industry is shifting away from rigid, monolithic setups toward a more agile, "decoupled" infrastructure philosophy.
The Blueprint for High-Volume Copy TradingFor elite global exchanges like WEEX (founded in 2018), this architectural choice becomes critical when scaling high-volume retail features like social copy trading. When thousands of users automatically mirror the real-time strategies of elite traders simultaneously, it triggers sudden, monumental spikes in concurrent transactional volume.
To prevent execution latency or settlement bottlenecks during these peak volatility events, a platform's primary engine must remain entirely dedicated to risk management, copy-trade synchronization, and order matching.
The Architectural Rule: New-generation platforms must separate front-end user execution engines from heavy backend infrastructural overhead to eliminate operational friction.
By separating these layers, platforms can maintain complete sovereignty over their trading environments and user experiences while strategically aligning with institutional-grade infrastructure ecosystems. This strategic framework allows modern exchanges to leverage advanced Digital Asset Custody infrastructure such as Cobo’s behind the scenes, ensuring that backend wallet management scales elastically alongside trading spikes.
Capitalizing on Market Momentum and 400× LeverageIn a derivatives arena where platforms offer up to 400× leverage on perpetual contracts, capital efficiency and market agility are core business metrics. To capture market momentum, an exchange needs the ability to rapidly expand its asset offerings, supporting everything from legacy crypto assets to sudden, trending altcoins across a massive library of trading pairs.
Adopting a flexible, scalable Wallet-as-a-Service (WaaS) solution such as Cobo’s could completely rewrite the development timeline for high-growth exchanges. Instead of spending months of engineering capital building out custom backend wallet architectures for every new blockchain network, platforms can deploy localized infrastructure in days.
This agility allows platforms to instantly scale their listings to over a thousand trading pairs without compromising security or delaying time-to-market. It mirrors the exact operational advantages seen during high-velocity market events, similar to how advanced wallet infrastructure empowers platforms during sudden asset surges; allowing exchanges to pass that speed and liquidity directly to their global user base.
A Mature Foundation for GrowthThe synergy between trusted infrastructure ecosystems and global trading platforms represents the natural evolution of a maturing crypto market. As WEEX continues to scale its global spot and derivatives offerings for over 6 million users, adopting robust backend paradigms proves that platforms no longer have to compromise between cutting-edge trading velocity and uncompromised structural security.

Get Paid to Onboard? Try WEEX’s New Homepage with Rewards for Registration, Deposit & Trade

WEEX Custom Layout: Build Your Perfect Trading Workspace in Seconds
Morning Report | BitMine increased its holdings by 126,971 ETH last week; trader Eugene announced his exit from the crypto market
Wang Chuan: How can one not feel anxious after the neighbor Old Wang made thirty times profit by investing in storage stocks? (Seven) - A quarter-century cycle
Cryptocurrency CEXs are flocking to sell US stocks, and traditional brokerages are facing an "uninvited guest."
$75 billion in foreign capital has fled, and South Korean retail investors have absorbed it all using leverage
Japan’s Three Megabanks Plan Joint Stablecoin Issuance in Fiscal 2026
MUFG, SMBC, and Mizuho reportedly plan to jointly issue fiat-pegged stablecoins in fiscal 2026, signaling Japan’s growing push into bank-led digital payment infrastructure.
Humanity Discloses H Token Dual-Chain Attack Details, With Losses on Ethereum and BSC Exceeding $36 Million
Humanity said the H token attack across Ethereum and BSC caused more than $36 million in losses after leaked ProxyAdmin keys enabled malicious contract upgrades and token minting.

