Andros Wong's Wonder is Providing DAOs with Technical Infrastructure

has one key concept and it is that “the future is collaborative” – gone are the traditional practices of employers and employees in the way that we were taught or the way that we previously understood. Businesses have evolved to encompass learning and a instead of competing against each other. Society as a whole is beginning to realize that we are one, and pitting ourselves against one another isn’t the best way for us to move forward. We are living in momentous history, the turning point for the job and business economy, and companies like Wonder have the forethought to follow where the path is directed, which is exactly how the business came to be. At first glance, the task management platform may seem like any other that allows users to set roles and parameters, as well as delegate and keep track of tasks. However, unlike other services, it is tailored for this new collaborative world, rather than treating everyone in the workplace as an employee. The gig industry has been growing for years now, with the increased desire for remote working as individuals were jet-setting across the globe. This gave rise to a whole new lifestyle which was coined to be the “digital nomad”. What began as a niche of travel bloggers quickly caught on and more people decided to sell their possessions in order to live a minimalist life, one where they are able to pursue their passion for travel. Vanlifers followed soon thereafter, and there was an explosion of people who needed remote work to fund them as they hopped from continent to continent. Fed by this demand, the gig economy flourished. When the pandemic rolled around in 2020, many foresaw the death of the gig economy, but instead, it was given a new purpose. People were unable to leave their homes to go to work because of the lockdown orders which were reinforced in multiple countries around the globe, and workers were being laid off due to crashing industries. On top of which, schools and nurseries closed, which in turn forced parents to jobs, but even when the restrictions were lifted, parents saw how freelance work gave them the freedom to set a schedule that . However, without consumers and foot-traffic, as well as the lockdown order forcing non-essential businesses to stay closed, businesses suffered, and as a result, so did millions around the world. Thankfully, the gig industry was there to cushion the blow. The evolution of how businesses operate and how projects are run is the very soul of Wonder, which enhances transparency as well as efficiency. The platform has an intuitive task management tool which allows users to configure workflows, set up authorizations and roles, as well as allow the team to coordinate transparently. For the team at Wonder, DAOs (decentralized autonomous organizations) were an extremely important part of their consideration, as they believe this is the way of business in the future. DAOs move away from a single employer structure to a collaborative system where all parties have the potential to share ownership and weigh in on key decision-making points. Payment is another key detail in collaborative work, as everyone wants to be paid fairly and punctually. Upon task completion, payment will be automated in any currency, whether fiat money or cryptocurrency. Wonder also offers their own social token which can later be converted into real-world money. With so many options available, and no processing fees by PayPal or any third-party platform, Wonder is competing to become the first choice in that regard. Gone are the days of manual payment requests and processing. Andros saw the ineffectiveness of having to initiate payment through messaging and decided that the best method was to integrate it directly into the system. Since transparency plays a significant role in how DAOs operate, Wonder has not lost sight of this key element and encourages industry leaders to celebrate the successes of their contributors. This social element is something that is also currently missing from many of the third-party platforms that are widely available. “People seem to forget that work is collaborative, and going to work gives people a sense of purpose, a sense of community. Remote working has removed the essence of belonging because everyone’s working on their own time, in their own timezone, in the comfort of their own homes, detached and removed from . Wonder wants to bring that back, because people are social creatures and being seen and celebrated can increase productivity as well as efficiency,” Andros was quoted as saying when asked why Wonder included a social media element to their task management platform. They have social profiles created for every member and organization which offers an insight into how they work. “Everything is visible. Everything – what you worked on, how many hours, your contributions, etc – is broadcasted on your profile so that people can decide whether they want to work with you or not. Nothing is overlooked or marginalized. Big or small, we recognize that every contribution is important.” For something that started off as a shared project accountability spreadsheet, used to support and encourage, between a small group of friends, Wonder has truly come a long way and will continue to innovate in this new space of collaborative work.