NEAR: A Love Letter & a Goodbye I know it’s a trope but, really, it’s not you; it’s me. We’ve just, kinda, grown apart. I guess. And that’s okay, because you’ll go your way, and I’ll go mine. That doesn’t mean we’re separate; we’re inseparably entwined. I love you @NEARProtocol. I love your technical innovations. I love your values. Most of all I love the people who took you to where you are today. I always will. From Nashville recording studios with @rhymetaylor, to enraging what seemed like half the world to end up on Bloomberg @business with the @NEARFoundation Marketing Team, to, of course, taking the stage with @Snowden at [REDACTED]. All laden with tracksuits, might I add. It’s been a ride. It’s been nothing less than an honour to have ridden every high and traversed every low with NEAR over the past ~4 years. But it’s time for me to go. Thank you @ilblackdragon and @AlexSkidanov for kickstarting something that would go on to change thousands of lives, including mine, to a remarkable scale, eight years ago. I’d tag everyone who has had a profound impact on my career, personal life, and future, but the list would simply be too long. Now go. Become the chain that binds the ever-growing tentacles of centralized AI. Bring about a world where we can all have robotic AI catgirl anime waifus that DO NOT want to sell us the latest ED medication and/or sell our data. Stay free.