Who Can You Trust? by Rachel Botsman Summary
Overview of Who Can You Trust?
In "Who Can You Trust?", Rachel Botsman reveals how technology transformed trust from institutions to strangers and algorithms. This groundbreaking exploration of distributed trust examines everything from ancient Maghribi traders to China's Social Credit System - leaving readers questioning who truly deserves their confidence.
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Key takeaways
The Invisible Architecture of Modern Life
Picture yourself climbing into a stranger's car at midnight, handing your house keys to someone you've never met, or letting an algorithm decide whether you qualify for a loan. A generation ago, these actions would have seemed reckless, even absurd. Today, they're Tuesday. Something fundamental has shifted in how we decide who and what deserves our confidence-and most of us haven't noticed we're standing in the middle of a revolution. September 14, 2008 marks an inflection point. While Lehman Brothers collapsed and the financial system teetered, something quieter but equally seismic was happening: the scaffolding of institutional trust began to crumble. Banks, governments, media outlets, churches-the pillars we'd relied on for centuries-suddenly looked hollow. Trust didn't vanish; it migrated. It stopped flowing upward to authorities and started flowing sideways, person to person, through digital networks we barely understand. We're now living through the third great trust revolution in human history, moving from local trust in small communities, through institutional trust built on contracts and brands, into what we might call distributed trust-a web of connections between strangers enabled by technology. Consider Alibaba's transformation of Chinese commerce. In a culture where trust traditionally extends only to family and close friends, Jack Ma created a platform where millions now transact billions with complete strangers. The secret? Mechanisms like Alipay, which holds payment until buyers confirm satisfaction, and TrustPass certification verifying seller identities. These aren't just features-they're trust architecture, building bridges across the gap between what feels safe and what's possible. When we take these "trust leaps," embracing new behaviors that once seemed risky, we don't just adopt technology. We reshape society itself. The challenge isn't whether distributed trust will transform our world-it's whether we'll remain conscious architects of these systems or passive recipients of algorithmic judgment.
When Institutions Betray and Systems Collapse
Building Trust Through Design and Adoption
The Accountability Crisis and the Illusion of Knowledge
When Obedience Becomes Gamified and Surveillance Normalized
Blockchain: The Machine That Runs on Math
Trusting Machines and Rebuilding Human Systems
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"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
From Columbia University alumni built in San Francisco
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
"Instead of endless scrolling, I just hit play on BeFreed. It saves me so much time."
"I never knew where to start with nonfiction—BeFreed’s book lists turned into podcasts gave me a clear path."
"Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."
"Crazy how much I learned while walking the dog. BeFreed = small habits → big gains."
"Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."
"Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."
"BeFreed turned my guilty doomscrolling into something that feels productive and inspiring."
"BeFreed turned my commute into learning time. 20-min podcasts are perfect for finishing books I never had time for."
"BeFreed replaced my podcast queue. Imagine Spotify for books — that’s it. 🙌"
"It is great for me to learn something from the book without reading it."
"The themed book list podcasts help me connect ideas across authors—like a guided audio journey."
"Makes me feel smarter every time before going to work"
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