Technology, money,and who ends up holding it.

I write from the point where technology starts moving money and power. I follow the mechanism, the liability, and the person or company that holds control.

Max Avery standing in a modern office.
56published articles
2020publishing since
9subjects
4core beats

I read every subject three ways.

I start with the mechanism, follow the liability, then ask who holds control.

  1. I start with the mechanism. Headlines disappear quickly. Architecture, custody, and incentives decide what the system can actually do.

  2. Then I follow the liability. Custody and structure determine who gets paid, who carries the risk, and who answers when the system breaks.

  3. Every system encodes a view of ownership. If the technology leaves control untouched, the rest is packaging.

Three lensesOne deciding question
Who holds control? Technology, finance, and philosophy form three rails. Mechanism, liability, and purpose converge on a test of ownership, access, and accountability. TECHNOLOGY MECHANISM FINANCE LIABILITY PHILOSOPHY PURPOSE WHERE THE THREE MEET WHO HOLDS CONTROL? OWNERSHIP / ACCESS ACCOUNTABILITY
Mechanism, liability, and purpose all lead back to control.

From the journal

All 56 articles →

Illicit finance.

Counterproliferation, sanctions evasion, offshore fraud, and the money that moves through all three. The digital asset beat kept running into this, so it gets its own file.

Everything on this desk →

If you want to understand a system, start with who controls the asset when it breaks.

The holding test/Max Avery

Formal portrait of Max Avery in a dark suit.
Max Avery

I know what I think.I write it down.

A point of view should be clear enough to revisit and specific enough to defend.

I write about digital asset custody, tokenization, regulation, and the infrastructure serious capital needs. I care about who controls the asset, who carries the risk, and what must be built next.

At DAG, I work on the same questions in practice. These are my views, under my name. Nothing here is investment advice.

  1. 01Read the rails.How the system moves value.
  2. 02Follow the liability.Who carries the risk when it breaks.
  3. 03Name the holder.Who can act, who can stop it, and who gets paid.
Professional practice / Active Where the ideas meet the work.