The Zero Marginal Cost Society

Video

Website - third industrial revolution consulting - https://foet.org/contact/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-iDUcETjvo

book - https://foet.org/project/the-zero-marginal-cost-society/

OSE Mention

OSE's work was mentioned in the book, and the Author send a copy of the book to MJ. It would be worthwhile to invite Dr. Rifkin in the the OSE fold.

See Google Books - [1]

Contact

Hi Jeremy and Michael,

Our work was mentioned in The Zero Marginal Cost Society (excerpt attached), and I wanted to reach out to explore whether advancing practical zero-marginal-cost economic systems remains a strategic priority for your team. Thank you for sending us a copy of the book back in 2014. 

We have been deeply inspired by your theory and are now executing it concretely in the housing sector. Our work focuses on taking housing toward zero marginal cost through open-source, production-grade machines that manufacture key building materials using solar photovoltaic energy.We have already productized a simple, production-ready home model and are now scaling the machinery required to reduce materials cost from about $60,000 to roughly $10,000 for a 3-bed/2-bath home. This effort builds on two decades of R&D in open-source machine design and enterprise innovation. Our goal is to achieve our “Freehouse” milestone by 2028 as a meaningful contribution toward the Zero Marginal Cost Society.

Today, our build cost is approximately $100k ($60k materials / $40k labor), compared to an industry standard near $180k, and our next target is $50k through open, industrial-grade materials production. This is not theoretical work—we are building real homes while openly publishing replicable enterprise models to make zero-marginal-cost housing genuinely attainable. We believe authentic open innovation is essential to realizing ZMCS in practice.

We are also establishing the Future Builders Academy to train teams in these methods and systems: https://learn.opensourceecology.org/

Would your team be interested in discussing collaboration on zero-marginal-cost housing and infrastructure development? I would welcome a video conversation or guidance on how best to engage with your initiatives.Thank you for your time and consideration.Sincerely,

Marcin Jakubowski

Founder & Director

Open Source Ecology

Comments

• The argument for zero marginal cost can be extended to hardware-intensive enterprises - such as roads. At first thought - this seems impossible - because of significant material costs which are far from zero marginal cost: They cost $1M/mile to build, and $500k/mile to maintain per year!!! See Cost of Building Highways.
  • How to reconcile? By reducing the cost of materials - by reducing the cost of machines involved in producing the materials - and by automating much of the process. All of this can be achieved by open design.
  • This is an opportunity: how to translate zero marginal cost to the world of 'capital intensive physical goods'. OSE is doing exactly this - with the aim of reducing materials cost of housing to zero. See Cost Reduction page.
• Did the book publishing industry get destroyed with the zero marginal cost of internet publishing? Certainly in Japan - [2], but can't find similar data for the USA.
• Music sales - [3]
• Open Source Ecology is mentioned on p. ____________

Critique

MJ sez - at present, the zero marginal cost society concept is an utter failure. While specif tech becomes cheaper, and indeed comes close to zero marginal cost (microprocessors, PV cells, solar electricity at 1 cent per kwhr if used locally, many materials (wheat costs 13 cents per pound, crude oil at 25 cents per pound) - the Cost of Living is constantly increasing. Savings from powerful technology do not translate to reduced cost of living, in general. The culprit is Aggregate Productivity and Centralization. As a result, Wealth Distribution and War persist as issues related to the Artificial Scarcity of zero marginal cost - ie, lack of good execution in delivering Integrated Zero Marginal Cost.

Evolution

Zero marginal cost is a myth in a remote sense, because it costs something - an exchange of energy and materials of some sort - to convert one form of substance to another. However, if the cost of the conversion of natural resources into the lifestuff of modern civilization can be achieved with open knowhow and near-free energy - then zero marginal cost for hardware can be achieved as well. OSE is working on such open knowhow. Near free energy is available from solar panels - at under 20 cents per watt today. Therefore, essential zero marginal cost can be achieved. Thus, Universal Basic Assets can be the new engine of progress, as opposed to Scarcity-Based Economics. Thus, Open Sector Enterprise, can become the new model that delivers Universal Basic Assets - and achieves Practical Post-Scarcity with ideologies replaced by the distributed raw power of efficient and humane production a la Drucker.

If Lifetime Design is added to the discussion, then the above is 10x more possible.