Digital-native solutions radically disrupt the convention.

In the physical world, paper exists. We write on paper, share it, and store it. But paper is physical. It can get lost. It requires space. It isn't scalable. A hybrid solution to this paper problem is scanning it and digitizing it. An even better solution, or a digitally-native one, is to never use paper in the first place, and digitally type rather than write.

In the physical world, we have in-person meetings. They're great, but harder to schedule, take more time, and are not always feasible. A hybrid solution is Zoom or video conferencing software. The digital native solution is virtual reality — being able to simulate an in-person experience without actually being in-person.

In the physical world, we carry cash. Cash can be counterfeited, lost, and stolen. A hybrid solution are credit and debit cards, which allow money to move through the internet's payment processing infrastructure. The digital-native solution is Bitcoin and Ethereum. Immutable, secure, & decentralized.

Where are the rest?

What's next?

• What is the digital native solution to education?

Idea: Drop a low-cost tablet or computer to anyone in the world who needs it. Provide interactive tutorials of hard skills (applied mathematics, coding, content, etc.) and instantly tap them into a global marketplace of companies and individuals looking to get specific tasks done (ex: write an algorithm, frontend design, etc.). If there's not enough tasks, make up challenging tasks and use this system as a global talent search. The whole point is to get individuals involved in the global economy as soon as possible. This would level the playing field through offering hard skills and initial opportunity that could turn into something more meaningful. (partly inspired by 1729.com)

• What is the digital native solution to unemployment?

COVID-19 brought unemployment in almost every physical, customer-facing industry. Lay-offs were expected. However, if you have in-demand skills, the chances of you not having a job is near zero.

Is there a digitally-native solution (back to the education idea) that will allow individuals to rapidly upskill themselves?

• What is the digital native solution to healthcare?

We've seen hybrid approaches (e.g. Oscar Health + other insurance providers in similar verticals), but what's the true digital native solution? Can healthcare become decentralized, global, and more transparent (decreased costs)?

• What is the digital native solution to X?

This is definitely a question I'll be asking myself more often. Exciting stuff!

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Thank you to Balaji Srinivasan on the Tim Ferriss show for inspiring this post.