Founder Status

Founder Status rewards individuals who fund the transition via the EXIT Protocol with an initial Merit grant and early access to limited offerings like longevity trials. The status decays rapidly–Merit halves roughly every 20 years–ensuring it is a launch boost, not a hereditary advantage.

Founders can maintain influence only through ongoing contribution; dormant status melts away. This incentivizes elites to align with the new system without letting them dominate it. Founder privileges do not extend to Baseline guarantees, which everyone already receives, nor do they exempt holders from transparency and accountability.

The construct mirrors “founder’s stock” in startups–early upside for risk and contribution–tempered by constitutional decay to prevent permanent aristocracy.

References

• UnscarcityBook, chapter6
• Paul Romer, “Endogenous Technological Change” (1990)
• Wikipedia: Founder shares (accessed 2024)