Something you might hear me reference from time-to-time is something called punk rock tech.
Cool. It has a name. But what the hell is it? What is punk rock tech?
Cool. It has a name. But what the hell is it? What is punk rock tech?
+ punk: [ puhngk ]
a style or movement characterized by the adoption of aggressively unconventional and often bizarre or shocking clothing, hairstyles, makeup, etc., and the defiance of social norms of behavior, usually associated with punk rock musicians and fans.
+ Subculture: sub·cul·ture
a cultural group within a larger culture, often having beliefs or interests at variance with those of the larger culture
Punk Rock Tech can also be called Indie Tech if you want to be a jerk about it.
It’s the products that go against the grain. It’s minimal, it’s effective but it’s definitely not as flashy. It’s built by those that say “damn the man” and build things on their own terms. It could be open-sourced, it could be bootstrapped, it could be built in public.
Punk rock tech doesn’t adhere to the popular crowd. Punk rock tech doesn’t scream “buy me” with bells and whistles.
It’s the weird, the often overlooked, the lower on the list products that are actually better, but missed because they’re different.
Examples? Sure, happy to provide them: Signal, Basecamp, WordPress, Hey, Simplenote, Pocketcasts, Cal, Firefox, Tidal, AvatarAI, plus more…
It’s the weird, the often overlooked, the lower on the list products that are actually better, but missed because they’re different.
Examples? Sure, happy to provide them: Signal, Basecamp, WordPress, Hey, Simplenote, Pocketcasts, Cal, Firefox, Tidal, AvatarAI, plus more…
And let’s not forget the most punk rock of them all —– Bitcoin.
Punk tech might not be the flashiest or in with the hip crowd, but dammit it’s amazing to those that appreciate it.
Punk tech might not be the flashiest or in with the hip crowd, but dammit it’s amazing to those that appreciate it.
To recap, what’s punk rock tech you ask? It’s the products that go against the grain.
Let's end this post off with a feel-good quote, here’s a classic:
Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do. - Steve Jobs
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