Elle Griffin — Rethinking Ownership and the Future of Work (EP. 287)

Writer, editor, and founder of The Elysian, Elle Griffin joins me on Infinite Loops to discuss her vision for participatory capitalism, a world where ownership, reputation, and creativity are shared more broadly across society.
We explore the evolution of capitalism from the industrial era to the networked age, how broad-based ownership could rebuild the middle class, why optimism is revolutionary, and how storytelling shapes our collective imagination.
We also discuss how reputation is becoming a new form of capital and how writers can become architects of meaning in a world reshaped by AI and automation. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. For the full transcript, episode takeaways, and bucketloads of other goodies designed to make you go, "Hmm, that's interesting!," check out our Substack.
Important Links:
• The Elysian (elysian.press)
• Elle Griffin on X (Twitter) (x.com/elleinelysium)
• LinkedIn
• Website (ellegriffin.com)
• Elle's Novel Obscurity (elysian.press/t/obscurity)
Show Notes:
• The New GI Bill for Stock Ownership
• Rethinking ESOPs, RSUs, and Equity for All
• The Founder's Dilemma: Risk, Ownership & Exit
• Tax Incentives for Employee Ownership
• A Tale of Two Experiments
• The Ownership Czar for the Day
• The Future of Work
• The State with Baby Bonds
• The Problem with Worth and Deserving
• The Power of Utopian Fiction
• The Currency of Belief and Reputation
• Empress of the World Question
Books and References Mentioned:
• Obscurity; by Elle Griffin
• The Elysian; by Elle Griffin
• The Beginning of Infinity; by David Deutsch
• The Lessons of History; by Will & Ariel Durant
• The History of Civilization; by Will & Ariel Durant
• Why Greatness Can't Be Planned; by Kenneth O. Stanley
• Looking Backward; by Edward Bellamy
• Herland; by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
• Les Misérables; by Victor Hugo
• Frankenstein; by Mary Shelley
• The Republic; by Plato
• Das Kapital; by Karl Marx
• The Count of Monte Cristo; by Alexandre Dumas
• 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea; by Jules Verne
• A Tale of Two Cities; by Charles Dickens
• White Mirror Stories; by Infinite Books