I had a Dream Epiphany about iEthereum and Steve Jobs

In essence, a dream epiphany is an awakening to a new perspective, idea, or solution that feels both revelatory and transformative, and it might happen during sleep or in a reflective, dream-like moment. This type of epiphany can be particularly striking because it may come from a source of deep subconscious thinking or a moment of clarity that emerges when one's mind is more open and less guarded.

Let me explain.

In 1997, Steve Jobs stood at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in front of a room full of developers, critics, and a media that had declared Apple “doomed.” The company was in shambles, its stock down 66% over the past year, and Jobs had just returned as CEO after being ousted 12 years earlier. The situation was dire, and Apple was hemorrhaging developers. Jobs’ mission was clear: he needed to win them back, or else Apple would collapse.

When a developer rose to criticize Jobs during this tense time, saying that Jobs didn’t know what he was talking about, Jobs could have become defensive, but instead, he paused, took a breath, and responded with an insight that would go on to define his legacy in Silicon Valley.

"You know, you can please some of the people some of the time, but you can't please all the people all the time,” Jobs began. “The gentleman is right in some areas. I’m sure there are things OpenDoc does that nothing else out there does. But the hardest thing is: How does that fit into a cohesive, larger vision that’s going to allow you to sell $8-10 billion in product a year?"

Jobs’ wisdom here wasn’t just about technology. It was about understanding what drives success. He continued:

"You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology. You can’t start with the technology and try to figure out where you’re going to sell it."

For Jobs, the product wasn’t just about having the best technology. It was about understanding what customers needed, focusing on their experience, and then working backwards to design a product that delivered that experience seamlessly. That principle, of working backward from the customer experience, is something that seems to lie at the heart of iEthereum, a vision for a digital commodity that prioritizes the user over the technology.

Looking at iEthereum, it appears that the design is focused on cutting-edge blockchain technology while addressing a core issue many people face: a need for fast, secure, and accessible digital payments. While iEthereum is not explicitly defined, what can be inferred is its potential mission: to empower people to transfer value globally, instantly, and without intermediaries, possibly making a digital commodity or value as accessible as physical money.

The design of iEthereum seems to aim not to just build another cryptocurrency but to create a universal payment network that bridges the gap between physical cash and digital finance. I would l describe it more as a digital commodity. Neutral, Base, Settlement, Collateral type commodity? If iEthereum does indeed fulfill this role, it would likely start with the customer experience and prioritize solving real-world problems, ensuring the technology fades into the background and the benefits stand front and center.

The first principle of what we can observe in iEthereum is solving customer problems. The world has been evolving rapidly toward a digital-first economy, but for most people, financial transactions remain clunky, slow, expensive, and full of friction. Traditional banking systems are costly and often exclusionary. Cross-border transactions can take days to clear and come with exorbitant fees. And while cryptocurrencies have made great strides, they still come with barriers to entry that may intimidate the average user.

By focusing on these pain points, it seems that iEthereum intends to address these obstacles. Whether it’s high fees, slow cross-border payments, or a lack of security and trust in certain financial systems, iEthereum might be seeking to solve these problems using blockchain technology—without making the technology the focal point. Instead, it seems to prioritize creating a seamless user experience that is interoperable, fast, secure, and easy to use.

When you look at iEthereum’s design, it seems clear that the experience is centered around the customer’s needs. One of the biggest barriers to adoption for blockchain technologies is complexity. Traditional cryptocurrencies often require users to deal with technical jargon, confusing wallet setups, and clunky interfaces. iEthereum seems to aim to eliminate this complexity by following principles of simplicity and elegance.

Using the ERC-20 token standard, iEthereum appears to prioritize compatibility with existing wallets and platforms. This likely makes the transition from traditional finance or other cryptocurrencies easier for users. The design suggests that users won’t need to learn complex technical details but can instead transact seamlessly using tools they are already familiar with. This approach, if intentional, would ensure that iEthereum remains user-friendly and accessible, even for those who may not be blockchain experts.

When people think of digital cash, it’s likely that they want something that functions like physical money—easy to use, fast, and reliable. From what can be inferred about iEthereum, it seems to prioritize the speed and security of transactions as the greater crypto industry matures.

Running on the Ethereum blockchain, iEthereum likely benefits from the high level of security that comes with its decentralized network. Each transaction would be validated by the Ethereum network, ensuring that the funds are safely transferred and that the transaction is immutable and verifiable. This transparency builds trust, and users are likely to have confidence in the security of their transactions.

Additionally, the design of iEthereum may aim to ensure fast transaction processing. By possibly utilizing Ethereum’s Layer 2 solutions and future optimizations, iEthereum might minimize transaction fees and delays, providing a seamless experience that reflects the speed and convenience of physical cash.

Steve Jobs famously said, “You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology.” In the case of iEthereum, this seems to mean designing the user experience first and using blockchain as a solution to that experience. Blockchain is likely the engine that powers iEthereum, but it’s not necessarily the end goal. The end goal seems to be creating a world where digital payments are accessible to everyone, instantly, and without friction.

The blockchain itself may not be the product. From what can be inferred, the product of iEthereum seems to be the experience of transferring value across the globe, securely and quickly, without intermediaries. The technology behind iEthereum, while crucial, likely remains invisible to the user. What matters is that the user can send and receive a digital commodity settlement as easily as they would use a traditional payment method, like a credit card or a mobile payment app.

iEthereum seems to work backwards by asking, “What does the customer need?” rather than, “How can we make blockchain or ledger work for us?” This approach suggests that the technology serves the customer experience, rather than the customer having to adjust to the limitations of the technology.

One of the key problems iEthereum may aim to address is the need for a decentralized financial system that doesn’t rely on banks or financial intermediaries. For millions of people around the world, traditional banking services are either too expensive or simply unavailable. iEthereum seems to be designed to remove these barriers by creating a decentralized platform that allows anyone with an internet connection to send and receive value.

In this sense, iEthereum might go beyond the idea of cryptocurrency as a speculative asset and present a practical solution for everyday transactions. By building a platform that doesn’t rely on traditional financial systems, iEthereum could empower users to manage their wealth and transfer value without needing banks or third parties.

Just like Jobs’ example of the LaserWriter printer—where the magic wasn’t in the technology but in the moment when people saw the result—iEthereum’s magic likely isn’t in the blockchain itself, but in the experience it delivers. It’s the feeling that comes from sending money to a friend across the world in seconds, or the relief of paying for groceries without worrying about transaction fees. This is the “Wow” moment that iEthereum seems to aim for: the magic of simple, fast, secure, and frictionless transactions.

iEthereum seems to focus on making this experience feel effortless. Behind the scenes, blockchain would handle the security, verification, and immutability of each transaction. But to the user, it’s just digital value transfer that works. And that’s the beauty of it. Like the LaserWriter printer that didn’t need to explain its technology to be successful, iEthereum likely doesn’t need to make blockchain its focal point. What matters is that the user can trust it, use it, and experience the benefits without worrying about how it works.

If iEthereum continues along this trajectory, it may be more than just another cryptocurrency. It could be a payment settlement system that works backward from the customer experience to the technology. By focusing on what the customer wants—a reliable, fast, secure, and simple way to transfer value—and then using blockchain as the solution, iEthereum might ensure that the technology serves the user, rather than the other way around.

In many ways, iEthereum could embody the principles Steve Jobs championed in his 1997 WWDC speech. Just as the LaserWriter printer wasn’t successful because of its technology, but because it delivered a “Wow” moment to users, iEthereum’s success might not lie in the blockchain itself. Instead, it could be in the way it delivers a seamless, intuitive experience that transforms digital cash into something as familiar and simple as physical money. And in doing so, iEthereum may ultimately become the “Wow” moment that digital cash has been waiting for. It could become a Human Standard Token.

iEther Way, We See Value