Inventing New Nature — Protocolized

Venkatesh Rao outlines the Protocol Institute's research mission as a newly formed organization funded by the Ethereum Foundation to advance protocol science. The core job is to channel resources from funders to researchers and groups doing work that contributes to the broader process of protocolization.

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Introducing the Protocol Institute

The Protocol Institute launches as a new organization dedicated to advancing protocol design, analysis, and stewardship across domains, with Protocolized magazine as its flagship publication. The institute inherits work from the Summer of Protocols program (2023-2025) and aims to build a field and global community capable of stewarding planetary-scale protocolization—the process by which human behaviors become standardized into civilization's coordinating infrastructure.

community editorial obliquities

Apr 2026

Timber Stinson-Schroff

Article

2026 Protocol Symposium: New Nature

The 2026 Protocol Symposium, the third edition of the flagship event for protocol studies, will be held online September 21-25 with the theme 'New Nature,' exploring the technological layer shaped by AI and protocols. Abstract submissions for talks and workshops are open until June 14, 2026, with registration to follow once the schedule is finalized.

obliquities organizations protocols

Jun 2026

Venkatesh Rao

Article

Brackish Strategy

This monthly note examines how conflict and competition are essential rather than avoidable elements of business strategy, critiquing the popularity of Blue Ocean Strategy's conflict-averse approach. Drawing from the first month of the Protocols for Business Special Interest Group, the author argues that successful corporate strategy requires embracing trade-offs, arguments, and tensions rather than seeking uncontested markets.

article editorial organizations

Aug 2025

Timber Stinson-Schroff