2020 has been nothing less than chaos. Arriving at one of the most contentious times in recent history is Brian Armstrong’s controversial take on the vision of his company, Coinbase.

In Brian’s recent blog, he outlined Coinbase’s plan to remain “laser focused” in order to have a bigger worldwide impact. He contrasted this plan against the idea of going wide and thin and losing sight of their financial mission. This focus is in direct contrast to the “social activist” approach many major companies (crypto included) have decided on in the wake of growing social unrest.

Brian Armstrong, Coinbase’s CEO, on the other hand, has made it crystal clear that a better financial system, specifically one in which cryptocurrencies are more widely adopted, is his only concern. While some may disagree with the alignment of this stance, the mission is undoubtedly one that will push for greater mainstream adoption. So, what exactly was the blog about, and what was so controversial about it?

His first main point in the blog was that Coinbase must and will play as a “championship team,” meaning that his team, like any other successful team, must have a shared determination to win. Brian encouraged all employees to “put the company’s goals ahead of any other individual goals.” He urged each employee to unite, by assuming the best in their counterparts and raising the bar. He concluded this segment with the statement that, “through this lens, we start to have a glimpse of a solution.” Like the first strategy, his second strategy “focus on building” was equally straightforward and mostly uncontroversial at the core.

It was his final position, “Why are we mission-focused?” that caused a stir, separating Coinbase from its Silicon Valley counterparts. Brian opened the final segment with his reason for not focusing on social activism in bold – “The reason is that while I think these efforts are well-intentioned, they have the potential to destroy a lot of value at most companies, both by being a distraction and by creating internal division.” Brian cited Google and Facebook as prime examples of companies with internal strife. As an observer of the crypto space, it isn’t hard to point out other major US companies, like Ripple, releasing their plans to address race, climate change, and gender equality in the workplace alongside their original mission of cross-border payments and remittances.

Coinbase, unlike Ripple and many other major companies, is solely focused on creating an open financial system and nothing else. Brian noted that this philosophy may upset some people but, “to move the needle on global economic freedom is extremely ambitious and time-consuming.” The Wolf Team is not concerned with where you stand. At the end of the day, we all more or less want the same thing – a more financially inclusive world. Whether you steer left or right on that path is relative. Always strive for greatness and wish the best upon those that are driving alongside you.

Read the Original Blog Here: https://blog.coinbase.com/coinbase-is-a-mission-focused-company-af882df8804

Written by Adam Tarlowski