Cent is a new project that attempts to blend the gig economy, social media[1] and crypto. Can such a volatile mix work? Founders Max Brody and Cameron Hejazi think so, and judging from my own experience there, I think they are onto something.
If Sci-Fi movies, futurists and political scientists agree on anything, its that the robots are coming for our jobs. This isn’t a new phenomenon. People have been fearing automation for decades. Even before factory jobs were being replaced with robots it was the logical question to ask. If tools are made to reduce work, what happens when our tools are so good, there is no work to be done?
Whatever your answer to that question is, be it universal income, economic protectionism or some crypto-wonderland, there needs to be something in between. So far, the gig economy has helped fill that gap. For all the innovations that have killed off jobs, there are at least a handful that have created new jobs and sources of income. Everything from Uber to Youtube videos to the article you are reading right now, is a form of the new economy.
But some of those jobs are disappearing too. Ask an economist or futurist what they think of an Uber-driver’s long-term prospects. And even the ones that are sticking around aren’t for everyone. What are the odds a former coal miner becomes a Youtube star?
Cent[2], which plans to add significant (but secret) features soon, currently works like this: There are three main tasks a user can perform: Asking questions, answering questions and voting on answers. Users ask questions and fund the bounty with Ethereum. Different users answer those questions to the best of their ability and then
