i do not think #nostr needs to grow fast or that it needs to compete with Farcaster, X, Bluesky etc (which might have more VC funds etc).

even though it prima facie might seem appropriate to compare #thenostr with those other centralized apps(?)/protocols(?) i think it is like comparing apples and oranges

the nostr protocol seems to be a tool, a tool for the rebels, the nyms, the developers not solely motivated by VC funding. it is a town square, the dark side of town or the road less travelled. this doesn’t make it irrelevant or doomed to fail. as long as we are here, there is potential. many boroughs of many cities flourish after they have been poor for decades

many things built on nostr will fail

some will not get funding

it his hard to get the $$$ influencers get from X from zaps on nostr

but it is open and a tool with no centralized blue checks

a tool anybody can use, without giving away anything special, entry cost is low

anybody can build on it, whichever tool they want

people tend to use tools whenever necessary

so nostrs use case is not only limited to what we need and can imagine now, but it is open for people to build what they want in the future, what if govt A enacts so and so rules, ex stringent regulations on who can access SoMe or use so and so app, those apps can be built on nostr, and it can happen pretty quick. No govts, elons, board members or investors to shut you down. Yes funding is an issue, and funding is not an issue for the aforementioned tech, but if you are centralized you will adhere to govts and investors or else they will shut you down (ex X) or put you in jail, thus they do not have the freedom nostr offers

nostr:npub1sg6plzptd64u62a878hep2kev88swjh3tw00gjsfl8f237lmu63q0uf63m s donation to nostr:npub10pensatlcfwktnvjjw2dtem38n6rvw8g6fv73h84cuacxn4c28eqyfn34f will also help nostr for a while. Maybe it can be compared to VC funding(?) at least it might help some nostr projects for a good while well into the future

so as long as the protocols in place and you are free to spin up your own relay, nobody says “no you can’t do that” when you propose a client, app or whatever, there is unlimited potential ahead.

just like the internet earlier

nostr is the Wild West

vc money is less interested because of its reach and (as of now) slim chances of monetizing users, user data or getting a return on investment quickly

most vcs want control

control over a product

to sell

license away etc (ex reddit suddenly charging Apollo app to use its API or whatever, basically shutting down third party apps and people’s livelihoods)

with nostr they don’t get that

there is no fast money to be made

it is not a thing they can control

kind of like #bitcoin and it’s first user base of cypherpunks (look now, blackrocks interested, governments are angry)

adoption took a lot of time, selling a coin for fiat took a lot of time, getting people to take it seriously took a lot of time

nostr adoption will probably go faster, but it will probably take some time to catch on

but nostr will always have freedom

freedom is important, maybe it is not apparent or necessary everywhere or always, but when you do not have freedom

it is the only thing you will miss

more than vc funding etc

thank you for listening to my Ted talk!