One day later

Sean was waiting outside when Maya arrived. He held the door open for her and they found her regular table inside.

He went to the counter and ordered their drinks. He walked back carefully, balancing two mugs filled to the brim with hot coffee. He placed Maya’s in front of her.

“Ugh,” she said without looking up. “Of course it’s taken.”

“What is?” Sean set his drink on the table, then walked around to look at her screen.

“nextblock.com.” Maya’s fingers drummed against her laptop. “It’s some bartering website. Looks abandoned.”

He leaned closer to see the website. His shoulder almost brushed against hers. She didn’t move.

“Um, well, okay…let’s think.” Sean moved quickly to his side of the table and sat. “What else could we use?”

“It’s fine.” Maya straightened herself in her seat. “We can just do nextblock.social.”

“Uh,” Sean paused. “No.” He put down his drink. “No, we cannot.”

She finally looked up from her screen. She met his eyes. “No?”

He leaned back in his chair. “It has to be dot com. Only dot com websites feel official.”

Maya relaxed her shoulders, rolled her eyes, and laughed. “That’s not true.”

“Oh but it is. I don’t make the rules.” He leaned in. “Try ‘Join NextBlock.’”

She considered it. “Like an invitation?”

He paused. Then grinned. “Like a movement.”

She smirked and typed it in. “It’s available.”

Sean handed her his credit card.

Four nights later

Summer had started in full swing outside. Happy hours, music blasting from cars riding down the street, and barbecue smoke from someone’s rooftop.

Inside Maya’s apartment, the window was cracked open, letting in the warm evening air.

Salma was out on another date. Not the dentist. A new guy.

Sean sat on the couch. Watched her pace around the coffee table.

“We need a manifesto,” Maya said, already in motion.

He laughed. “A manifesto?”

“Yes. Like the Cypherpunk’s manifesto.” Maya stopped pacing and turned to face him. “It laid out the entire philosophy. Before any of the tech it needed even existed.”

“Cypherpunk?” Sean tilted his head.

“So. In the nineties, this woman Jude Milhon - she was a hacker - she gave a name to this group of cryptographers in the Bay Area. Cypherpunks. Like cyberpunk but with ciphers.”

“Okay.” Sean stood and walked to the kitchen.

Maya turned toward the kitchen as she continued. “A year later, one of them - Eric Hughes - writes a single page. Not a business plan. Not a pitch deck. Just one page.”

Sean filled the kettle while she explained.

“This is what we believe. This is what we’re going to build. And then he basically says - we write code, not petitions.”

“All in one page?” Sean paused, looked back at her. “Where is your tea?”

“One page.” Maya pointed to a cart next to their kitchen island. “And the government freaked out over it. Tried to make encryption illegal. Like literally classified it as a weapon. Then the cypherpunks fought them. And won.”

“Nice.” Sean was judgmentally holding a box of tea bags. “Really? I need to bring you ladies some loose leaf.”

Maya rolled her eyes. Smiled. “And then one of them invented proof of work. And then another one designed digital cash.”

Sean looked up from the counter.

“And then Satoshi - who nobody’s ever met - sent the Bitcoin whitepaper to a mailing list that started because of those same people.”

“Alright. Okay.” Sean nodded as he poured the hot water into the mugs. “I think I get what you’re saying. That is pretty cool.”

Maya moved back toward the couch. “From one page, Sean. Thirty years later we’re sitting here because of it.”

“Okay, but writing a manifesto… “ Sean stirred honey into both mugs. “I don’t think we should be comparing ourselves to the cypherpunks.”

“Not comparing.” Maya sat up and back down on her knees. “We’re carrying it forward.”

Sean walked over and handed Maya her tea. “I guess…” He took a sip of his own.

“I want someone to read it in ten years. To see NextBlock did exactly what we said we would.” Her eyes found his. “And I want you to write it.”

Sean laughed. Took a step back. “It should definitely NOT be me.”

“Why not?” Maya sat up.

He set his mug on the kitchen counter. “‘Cause I’m new to all this. I mean, obviously”

Maya stood up. “You have a Masters in Public Policy.” She counted on her fingers. “The Attention Marketplace is a public good. This would be its founding document. You’ve literally trained for this! And we both know you’ll edit whatever I write.”

Sean smiled and leaned against the counter.

“I write code, Sean.” She pointed at herself. “Notes.” Then at him. “Other Stuff.” She grinned. “This one’s yours.”

Two days later

Sean texted the first draft.

Maya paced while she read it. Typed back immediately.

“This sounds like a government memo.”

Sean’s response came fast. “It needs to be clear.”

“It’s dead, Sean. A manifesto is a rant. Make it a rant.”

Two hours later

Sean rewrote it angrier. Hit send.

Maya fired back. “Make it angrier.”

One day later

They were arguing about the word cartel.

Maya wanted to call out big tech.

She had an acronym. The C.H.A.O.S. Cartel.

Corporations Harvesting Attention On Social Media.

Sean said it was too much.

“They’re exploiting people Sean. What word would you prefer?”

The word stayed.

20 minutes later

They argued about creators.

Maya wanted to focus on marketplace mechanics.

Sean wouldn’t budge. “Nothing has value on any of these platforms without the content creators.”

“You’re right.” Maya conceded. “The manifesto has to be for them too.”

Four days later

They argued over features.

Maya wanted to get rid of likes. Zaps only.

Sean wanted to keep a free way for people to engage.

“Likes are fiat, Sean.” Maya shook her head. “They give no value!”

“But not everything deserves a zap.” Sean wouldn’t back down. “This is too drastic. People won’t like it.”

They couldn’t decide. They left it out.

Maya said the answer will eventually come to them.

One day later

The final version called people citizens, not ‘users’.

It laid out their master plan.

It was angrier than Sean’s instincts. More structured than Maya’s.

They signed it together. Both names at the bottom.

Sean read the final version out loud.

Maya was bouncing.

He couldn’t stop smiling.

This was it. The whole vision. Their vision. Anyone who read this would get it immediately.

They sent it to everyone they knew.

3 days later

Crickets.

3 days later

She called it the C-Suite. Context-Suite. She made it for him.

Every decision documented. Every principle recorded. Fed to an AI that learned how they thought.

Maya told Sean it would make them two people with the output of twenty.

3 nights later

Sean used up all their credits.

He brought over apology sushi and ice cream. Displayed it with both hands, like a peace offering.

Maya and Salma ate on the couch while Sean presented a 30 slide proposal for NextBlock titled “Proof of Concept”.

He wanted to pause on the social app. “The most strategic approach for risk management would be to first prove the business model. Test the new ad experience.”

Maya begged him to never say ‘strategic approach for risk management’ again.

And she agreed.

4 days later

“Billboard!” Maya texted Sean. “It’s like a digital billboard.”

“Yes.” Sean immediately responded. “Like the people’s billboard.”

“YES” Maya responded.

“The internet’s billboard.” Sean typed. “Come discover the real internet. On the Billboard app!”

Maya responded with a fire emoji. “Let’s whiteboard it. Come over?”

Sean grabbed his keys.

2 hours later

Maya realized they were standing too close. She quickly stepped back. Almost tripped over her coffee table. Pretended she hadn’t.

Sean pretended too.

3 days later

Sean incorporated in Texas.

He told Maya it was for “regulatory flexibility.”

She told him that sounded like something a finance bro would say.

He didn’t disagree.

2 days later

Sean took a personal day.

To miss the ServiceNow contract kickoff meeting they’d make him lead.

He played in C-Suite. Planned the corporate structure. Called Maya.

He opened a legacy bank account for the company at Mercury.

1 week later

Sean opened a Bitcoin business account for the company at Strike.

2 weeks later

“We’re really doing this,” Maya said.

“We’re a Bitcoin company. No VC money. No token. Just Bitcoin.” Sean confirmed.

Maya transferred 1 Bitcoin.

Sean transferred 1 Bitcoin.

NextBlock locked 1.5 BTC in cold storage.

Three keys. Maya held one. Sean held one. Unchained held the third.

The Bitcoin couldn’t move without two agreeing.

Sean had read every horror story about exchange hacks.

Then they hired the Peak Shift design team.

Paid them in Bitcoin.

Both leaned over Sean’s phone, watching the Lightning payment send to Belgrade.

Three seconds later.

They high-fived when it went through.

1 night later

Maya and her friends were bar hopping in Dupont for Leyla’s birthday.

They ran into Sean and his friends at their 3rd stop, Cafe Citron.

4 mins later

Nima bought a round of tequila shots.

17 mins later

Salma bought the second round of tequila shots.

43 minutes later

They were all in a sea of salsa dancing on Citron’s main level.

Maya and Sean were dancing next to each other, but not together.

Nima and Ken convinced Leyla to take one more shot. They pulled everyone back to the bar.

Only Maya and Sean declined. They kept dancing.

38 seconds later

“Remember to keep your hands to yourself?” Sean teased.

Maya held up her hands innocently.

She then slowly danced backwards, pulling him closer to a wall.

Away from the dance floor. Further away from the bar.

2 minutes later

Their shoes kept gently tapping each other’s.

Their arms and hands brushing against each other with each sway.

“I LOVE THIS SONG,” Maya shouted into Sean’s ear. “IT’S BEFORE YOUR TIME.”

“I’M OLDER THAN YOU,” Sean shouted back.

12 seconds later

They were dancing closer.

People were bumping into them. Bumping them together.

Sean grabbed her hand to move her away from the crowd.

48 seconds later

Salma rushed up. “Aisha is puking. I called David.” She pointed toward the bathroom. Turned to Sean. ‘So is your boy Ken.’

28 mins later

“Home safe?” Sean texted.

“Home safe.” Maya responded.

2 days later

NextBlock hired the web developers team Stud House. Invoice paid in Bitcoin.

4 days later

Maya was trapped on call all weekend.

She missed Bitcoin Saturday at the Corner Cafe.

Monday morning, she quit.

Announced it was her last day in the morning team huddle. Camera stayed off.

Last time she’d done this, she lost everything.

6 hours later

Maya laughed for the first time that day looking at Sean in her doorway.

He was holding bags and bags of takeout. Thai, Indian, and Mexican.

“Didn’t know what you were in the mood for.” He smiled. “So I got everything.”

They got high and watched Silicon Valley. Salma joined.

1 week later

“We need a metaphor,” Maya said. “Something people can actually picture.”

Sean grabbed Maya’s Little Hodler plushie off her couch. Threw it back and forth between his hands while he leaned back. “You know what I’m gonna say.”

“What?”

“It’s a city.”

“Like a city government?” Maya winced.

Sean rolled his eyes. “Like the blocks. Hanging out on your corner. Checking out different neighborhoods.”

Maya nodded slowly.

“How every few blocks can feel like a different experience. Like here in DC.”

“So billboard is a city?”

Sean shook his head. “It’s NextBlock City. And Billboard is just the billboards in the city.”

“Right. Not ads. Billboards. Like you’d see walking around a real city.”

47 minutes later

Maya was pacing, squeezing her plushie between her crossed arms. “The Billboard experience is the economic engine. It brings money into the city.”

“Instead of taxing our citizens, we give them a way to earn money.” Sean was watching her pace.

“Money they can spend when they spend time in the city.” Maya smiled. “Zapping whatever they like.”

Sean caught her eye. Smiled. She kept going.

2 hours later

“And the manifesto is our declaration of independence!” Sean jumped.

“YES.”

They high-fived. Their hands pressed together a beat too long.

23 minutes later

“Only after we know Billboard works, like the marketplace is running, we launch Social.” Maya was drawing on her whiteboard.

“People can buy billboards asking others to add them to their neighborhoods.” Sean was pacing.

“Right, that’s how they can pay for attention.” Maya kept sketching.

“But now the organic reach can happen. If they’re in a popular neighborhood lots of people will see them. Or a popular hashtag in the ‘district’.”

“Right…” Maya stopped writing and leaned against the board.

“So, what’s next?” Sean stood still. “Just keep pushing new features from there?”

Maya shook her head. “We showcase the interoperability of Nostr. One login, works across all the apps.”

“How?”

“With a browser extension. That tells them whenever they’ve matched with a billboard to get paid.”

3 minutes later

“You know, this is the opposite of surveillance capitalism!” Sean shouted from her kitchen. He was making them tea.

“We’ll expose the lie that you need to steal data to show ads.” Maya looked up.

He handed her a mug. Fingers brushed. They both pretended to not notice.

3 hours later

The NextBlock roadmap was finalized.