The Power of Positive Sum
We Can All Win. Together.
This is essay 7 of 7 for The Tech Progressive Writing Challenge. Join the build_ Discord to join the conversation.
Win and help win, positive sum, we’re all gonna make it (wagmi), abundance mindset
I’ve found that these memes/phrases are frequently used in the tech and web3 discourse. These phrases represent a powerful mindset shift to positive-sum thinking. This mindset shift will help us solve our biggest challenges.
In the positive-sum world, we all rise together. One person winning does not mean another person has to lose.
A classic example of a positive-sum game is trade. When two parties trade with one another, it benefits both parties. They both obtain goods that they otherwise would not be able to create on their own.
Learning is positive sum. When more people from our society learn valuable skills, we have more capable people that can be contributing members of society. When I learn, it doesn’t mean that someone else can’t learn. (Education can be considered zero sum when there are a finite number of seats at a school).
The opposite of positive sum is zero sum.
In the zero-sum world, when one person wins, the other loses. In this world, both parties are competing for a pie that never grows. Politics are typically zero sum. There can only ever be one President of the United States. (As you may have noticed, this makes politics a nasty game).
In contrast to politics, company building is typically positive sum. Anyone can start a business. If you help your customers by providing value, the customers will win because they will have a great product they’re willing to purchase. The company builder wins because they are paid for the value they provide.
In general, we should strive to make a bigger pie. Rather than competing for one section of a fixed pie, we should try to play positive-sum games where we win together.
Technological progressives are positive sum. When we create technology that helps us do more with less, we will live in a more abundant world where we can all win. Together.