15.02.2024:9:17PM
Or something around that time.
I’m sitting on my bed, soaked in sweat, deploying the final code tweaks for Slakenet – on my phone.
Yes, I wrote code on my phone. My palms are clammy, and I keep blowing on them, trying not to smudge the screen.
I shoot a message to the Slakenet Team on WhatsApp: “Text me your number.” Eniola replies with his digits, and I paste them into the Slakenet redeem tab. The network is selected, the amount is set, and I press the big button.
Then I wait. “Did you get it?” I type back on WhatsApp. A few moments later, Eniola says something like, “Yeah, it works!” A tear slips down my cheek.
We’d just finalized the complete feature set for Slakenet: earn from GPT tasks, paid-to-click ads, all that jazz—then convert those earnings into real internet data for every major Nigerian network. Why? Because I wanted the internet to be free.
The Childhood Spark
Back when I was thirteen, life demanded I pick a role—like it does for all of us eventually. I chose “physicist.” Why? Because I thought physicists were at the top of the value chain, discovering the fundamental building blocks that shift the course of humanity.
It felt heroic. But then, I also wanted money. So I read up on folks like Elon Musk, who seemed to be fusing science, business, and global impact all in one.
It dawned on me that value creation wasn’t just about big discoveries in a lab; it could also happen in everyday life, in the form of solutions that solve real problems for real people. That’s what Slakenet was supposed to be—my own little big bang.
A Vision for a Free Internet
I had this burning question: What if the internet could be free for everyone? Imagine a world where data access wasn’t a barrier to learning, creating, and connecting. For me, Slakenet was a step toward that.
We built a platform where users could do micro-tasks—like GPT or paid-to-click ads—and convert those earnings into data top-ups. It worked. People got a few precious megabytes to keep them online.
But over time, I realized something: if you’re trading an hour of your life for 500mb, is that really “free”? It felt like we were still stuck in a time-for-money loop that barely paid off.
What’s Real Freedom?
As I dug deeper, I saw that the internet is already free—for those who create and exchange value in bigger, bolder ways. Content creators, coders, entrepreneurs—they make something people want, and the internet pays them back exponentially. That’s not time-for-money.
That’s value-for-money.
When I recognized that, I had to ask: Is Slakenet really solving the problem or just papering over it? Sure, we helped some folks in a pinch, but the core issue remained: How do we empower people to own their creativity, monetize it, and build a life that’s truly free?
Pushing Past the Limits
Slakenet’s approach was well-intentioned, but it faced a paradox: how do you reach people who barely have internet access – through the internet? The folks who needed it most were the hardest to reach. And for those who did find us, the payout was too small to be life-changing.
I started to see that “free internet” isn’t just about zero-cost data. It’s about a world where your creativity, skill, and imagination can thrive without walls – where you can solve problems and be rewarded without trading hours for pennies.
The Future of Work is Play
That led me to a bigger realization:
“The clever man may work smarter, not harder, they say, but the creative man doesn’t work at all.” — Alex Soojung-Kim Pang
In the future, the best “job” might be simply being yourself—creating what only you can create. The Internet is the ultimate distribution platform for your uniqueness.
When I looked around, I saw glimpses of this future: the explosion of digital art, the rise of indie creators, and people who crowdfund ideas on a whim. They’re not just working for a paycheck; they’re sharing something they love, and the world is paying them back.
This realization made me rethink Slakenet’s role in the grander scheme of things.
Lessons Learned
Shutting down Slakenet wasn’t a failure so much as a pivot. I learned that if you want to make the internet “free,” you have to empower people to create real value. Trading time for scraps isn’t freedom; it’s just a digital sweatshop.
I still believe in bridging the gap for those who can’t afford data. But the ultimate solution is bigger than micro-tasks. It’s about creativity, ownership, and leveraging technology to build systems that reward everyone involved—creators and consumers alike.
What’s Next?
Now, I’m channeling that original Slakenet energy into something new—a platform that celebrates creativity, fosters value exchange, and pays people in a positive-sum way. Imagine a place where you post your original work and both you and your audience get rewarded. That’s a future I can get behind.
The details are still taking shape, but I’m excited. I’m learning from amazing people in the Hive Blockchain ecosystem.
In the End…
The path from wanting to be a physicist to building an internet platform is winding, to say the least. But at every turn, it’s the idea of value creation that keeps me going: how to truly help people, not just patch a leak.
And maybe that’s the biggest lesson: Free doesn’t mean “no cost”; it means no limits—no constraints on your creativity, your reach, or your capacity to shape the world. The internet is the perfect canvas for that if you choose to pick up the brush.
So, here’s to the next chapter. I hope you’ll join me. Because the future belongs to those who create—and if you can do that, the internet is already free.
The Internet Is Free (If You Create and Exchange Value)
We’re standing on the cusp of a new era: one where anyone can leverage the internet to build a life they enjoy, rather than settling for the one society says they should want.
It used to be that a “strong man” works hard, and a “clever man” works smart. But in this new age, the “creative man” doesn’t seem to work at all—because he’s playing a game of infinite possibility, driven by value creation, not brute force or cunning alone.
He’s doing what feels like play to him but looks like work to others and gets paid.
The End of the Commodity Era
From Mass Production to Personalized Premium
Industrialization gave everyone the same products—standardized, uniform, “good enough.” Whether you’re Elon Musk or an average Joe, you’re probably streaming the same Netflix, using the same iPhone. That’s the hallmark of the commodity age: when everything is the same, the cheapest wins.
Now, we’re entering an era where art and business intersect to create unique, customized experiences. This Consumer-to-Consumer economy means you can produce something so personalized that no one else on earth can replicate it. It’s the opposite of commoditization. Instead of everyone having the same experience, everyone gets what’s best for them.
Think of it as premium quality that’s custom-built for each individual—regardless of their status. I’ll be doing a deep dive on this in future articles.
How You Can Start Creating Value
If you are sad, bored, unmotivated, addicted, or “lazy,” it’s often because you don’t have a project big enough to discipline you. Discipline comes from clarity, not force.
Your brain is a reasoning machine. Even the emotions you assume are random are the result of subconscious calculations.
You will stop doing the next push up once your brain is convinced that the reasons to stop outweigh the reasons to continue.
The most rewarding growth strategy is getting paid for being yourself—no forced roles, no hollow tasks, just your authentic creativity on display. That’s the real power of forging your own path. Because if you don’t create the life you want, society will assign you a role.
If you spend one-third of your life doing what you don’t enjoy. This causes you to be too exhausted to savor the next third. And you spend the final third asleep. Then, there’s no higher priority than seizing control of your life so you can truly enjoy it.
Here’s Your Homework:
You don’t need the next SpaceX idea right now. You just need to tackle the most pressing problem in your life. That’s your personal moonshot. Here are the steps:
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Identify the most pressing problem in your life: It can be your unproductiveness, the annoying pimples on your face, your inability to focus, etc. What’s the one problem in your life that is responsible for everything you hate about it? If you can’t figure out what the most pressing problem is, then the most pressing problem is how to figure out the most pressing problem.
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Research & Experiment: Read books, watch videos, buy products, and test solutions on yourself. Document everything in a simple notes app (Apple Notes, Google Keep).
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Share Observations: Post your findings on social media; see what resonates. Grow an audience around your quest.
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Refine & Package: Once you’ve solved your problem. Package it by writing the simple steps someone can take to go from where you were before to where you are now. Give the solution away to 10 people. Collect feedback and improve the solution.
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Sell & Scale: Slap a catchy name on your solution and sell it. (“The Clarity Compass”, “The One Person Business”, “Podpilot”, “Fresh Face in 14 days”, etc.). Keep raising the price as you improve the solution until you get bored.
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Automate It: Build a system that delivers results without your constant input. This is done with leverage (I’ll teach this in the value creation fundamentals cohort, details soon). That’s how you unlock exponential growth.
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Make enough money to finally build your “Civilization on Mars” idea.
Instead of each of every 1000 people that have a problem to each grind for years, one person does the grinding and helps 999 others achieve the goal in weeks, hours, or minutes. He/she collects money and uses it to buy some other solution he/she wouldn’t dedicate years to do. This is the cycle of creativity.
By taking those steps, you’re optimizing for synergy (I explained optimizing for synergy in the How to create your own luck essay), and you always win regardless of the outcome. Even if no one wants your product, you’ll solve the problems in your life, and you’ll get better at creating things that people want.
You can reply with any answers or issues on your homework.
Anecdotes
Last week, I wanted to speed up my writing process. Articles were taking too long to finish, and I needed a way to produce more without sacrificing quality.
So, I built a repeatable system using templates in my Kortex. Then, I came across a comment from someone facing the same struggle. I shared my writing process, and he asked if I had templates he could use. Instead of overthinking, I simply exported my documented system, titled it “The Powerful Writer” (I slapped a catchy name), and sent it his way. I also shared it with a friend and embedded some of my offers in the PDF. Soon after, I noticed some payment links getting clicked.
This is just one example.
I didn’t want to record podcasts of myself reciting what I’ve written in my newsletter (problem in my life). I also didn’t want the AI voices, so I worked on creating automatic podcasts from my newsletter using my own voice, and I offered the service to other creators. You can listen to the sample.
I’m still an ant in the game; there are creators making millions of dollars as a one-person business by simply creating what they enjoy.
Study, Seek Truth, Then Learn (or Don’t Bother)
The Purpose of Studying Is Truth
If you’re not seeking truth, you’re wasting your time. To “study” means to observe something while tweaking parameters and recording concrete facts. That’s how you discover truth. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
The Purpose of Truth Is Learning
You seek truth so you can learn because learning is changing your behavior based on new evidence. It’s not about memorizing facts or reading a hundred books a week. It’s about taking what you find and adapting your life accordingly.
The Purpose of Learning Is Goals
If you’re not aiming for something, why bother learning anything? Goals provide direction, filtering out noise so you can focus on what matters. Without direction, the abundance of options in our modern world can bury you.
The Purpose of Direction Is Not Losing Yourself
With unlimited choices and infinite distractions, direction keeps you anchored. Otherwise, you become just another cog in someone else’s plan.
The Purpose of Not Losing Yourself
So you can create the life you want, instead of repeating the same script millions before you have followed. If you don’t chart your path, someone else will assign you one—usually a linear track that doesn’t excite you.
Conclusion
The internet is free for those who create and exchange value. Society might push you toward a linear grind, but exponential opportunities are everywhere if you look with a creator’s mindset. The industrial era standardized everything, but now, art + business means each person can have their own premium, personalized experience. To make that a reality for yourself, seek truth, learn, set goals, and keep from losing yourself in a sea of possibilities.
Most importantly, start with your own biggest problem—solve it, share it, refine it, sell it, automate it. Rinse and repeat. Because in a world that’s moving from commodity to creativity, the best career you can have is getting paid to be yourself.
Now, go create the life you want—before someone else convinces you to build theirs.
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Talk soon.
