The lost power of files

In traditional computing, saving a document puts a file on your machine. You control it, inspect it, and choose which app opens it.

“Files belong to you—the person using those apps.”

Tools shouldn't own your work

A manuscript does not stay inside a typewriter, and a photo does not stay inside a camera. Your creations should never belong to the tool.

“What we make with a tool does not belong to the tool.”

File formats act like languages

To work reliably, apps need structured data. When developers agree on open standards, different programs can collaborate seamlessly.

“A file format is like a language. An app might 'speak' several formats.”

The file format is the API

Open specifications like SVG let any browser render your graphics without asking permission or calling proprietary servers.

“The file format is the API.”

Files outlive individual software

Software changes, shuts down, or turns bad over time. App-agnostic storage ensures your memories and designs survive software lifecycles.

“Our memories, our thoughts, our designs should outlive the software we used to create them.”

Interoperability drives app quality

When data isn't trapped inside a specific tool, anyone can build a better app for the files you already own.

“As long as two apps correctly 'speak' the same file format, they can work in tandem.”

The trap of social platforms

Modern social computing platforms like Instagram, Reddit, and TikTok lock content behind proprietary walled gardens instead of open files.

Reimagining social computing

Applying the filesystem paradigm to social media would return ownership of posts, identities, and media back to the people who create them.