John Helmer invited me onto The Learning Hack podcast in early February 2022 to talk about something that doesn’t get discussed enough: What does Web3 mean for learning and development professionals?
The episode title – "What Rough Beast" – comes from Yeats’ poem "The Second Coming." The rough beast slouching toward Bethlehem. Something new and potentially disruptive is coming. Is it good news or bad news for people forging careers in the learning profession?
So yeh. Let me walk you through what we discussed in that 47-minute conversation.
Why This Audience Matters
Most Web3 discussions focus on developers, investors, or crypto enthusiasts. But L&D professionals – corporate trainers, instructional designers, learning technologists – they’re dealing with Web3’s impact too.
Organizations are experimenting with blockchain credentials. Employees are asking about NFT certifications. DAOs are emerging as new organizational structures that need training and onboarding.
And critically: If Web3 enables new ways to organize and coordinate, what does that mean for how we learn and credential skills?
That’s not a crypto question. It’s a fundamental question about the future of professional development.
BIMA Blockchain Council
We started by discussing my role as Co-chair of the British Interactive Media Association’s Blockchain Council.
BIMA represents agencies, brands, and digital professionals in the UK. Most aren’t crypto-native. They’re marketers, designers, strategists wondering: "What is this blockchain stuff? Should I care? How does it affect my work?"
The Blockchain Council exists to educate, not evangelize. We run masterclasses, webinars, discussions. Helping people separate signal from noise, utility from hype.
That educational mission aligned perfectly with John’s audience – learning professionals trying to understand emerging technologies and their workplace implications.
Explaining Web3 (Again, But for a Different Context)
I gave John my standard definition: Web3 is decentralized technologies that enable new forms of coordination.
But for L&D professionals, I framed it differently:
Think about how learning happens in organizations:
- Centralized: Company training department decides curriculum, delivers content, tracks completion
- Decentralized: Employees learn peer-to-peer, share resources, credential each other’s expertise
Web3 tools enable that second model at scale. Without requiring a centralized authority to validate, track, and gatekeep.
That’s powerful. And threatening to traditional L&D roles.
Implications for the Learning Profession
This was the heart of the conversation. John pushed me: Is Web3 good or bad for people in learning and development careers?
My answer: Both. Depends on how you respond.
The Threat
Disintermediation: If learners can credential themselves through blockchain-based microcredentials, what role do training departments play?
Decentralized credentials: Companies like Accredible and Credly (mentioned in our discussion) issue blockchain-verified credentials. The learner owns them, not the employer or learning platform.
That shifts power. Your certifications follow you. Employers can verify skills directly on-chain. The traditional "gatekeeper" role of corporate L&D diminishes.
DAOs for learning: Decentralized Autonomous Organizations coordinating learning communities. Token-based reputation systems. Learners governing their own educational experiences.
If organizations can coordinate learning without centralized L&D departments… where does that leave L&D professionals?
The Opportunity
But here’s the flip side:
New skills to teach: Organizations need people who understand Web3, blockchain, cryptocurrency, DAOs. L&D professionals can be the ones designing those training programs.
Credential design: Someone needs to design meaningful, verifiable credential systems. That’s literally what instructional designers do – just with new technology.
Facilitation, not gatekeeping: Shift from controller to enabler. Help learners navigate decentralized learning ecosystems rather than controlling their access.
DAO learning design: DAOs still need onboarding, knowledge management, skill development. Different structure, same fundamental needs.
I told John: The L&D professionals who learn these technologies early will be indispensable. The ones who ignore them risk irrelevance.
Evaluating the Vision’s Feasibility
Around 29 minutes in, John asked the critical question: Is this actually feasible, or is it utopian tech-bro fantasy?
I was honest about the challenges:
Technical complexity: Wallets, private keys, gas fees – most people don’t want to deal with that complexity just to prove they completed a course.
User experience: The tooling is rough. Blockchain credential systems are clunky compared to just clicking "Complete" in an LMS.
Regulatory uncertainty: How do blockchain credentials fit into existing accreditation systems? What about privacy laws when credentials are on public blockchains?
Cultural resistance: Organizations have invested heavily in centralized LMS platforms. Switching to decentralized systems requires massive change management.
But I also pointed to examples that ARE working:
PwC’s blockchain credentials: Smart credentials issued to employees who complete blockchain training. Portable, verifiable, owned by the learner.
Galaxy and other platforms: Blockchain-based microcredential ecosystems. Small, but functional.
NFT-gated learning communities: Own an NFT, access the community and learning resources. Simple gate-keeping without complex platforms.
Feasibility isn’t binary. Some use cases work now. Others need 3-5 years of infrastructure development.
Decentralized Autonomous Organizations
We spent time on DAOs specifically because they’re so foreign to traditional organizational structures.
What’s a DAO? An organization coordinated through smart contracts and token-based governance. No CEO, no traditional hierarchy. Proposals voted on by token holders. Treasury managed on-chain.
Learning implications:
- How do you onboard someone into a DAO if there’s no HR department?
- How do you develop leadership skills when there’s no formal leadership structure?
- How do you credential expertise in a context where traditional titles don’t exist?
These aren’t theoretical. DAOs managing millions of dollars already exist. They need learning infrastructure.
I suggested this is where forward-thinking L&D professionals could add massive value – designing learning systems for organizational structures that don’t yet exist in most companies.
Guidance for L&D Professionals
Near the end of our conversation (around 42 minutes), John asked: What should L&D professionals actually do with this information?
My recommendations:
1. Learn the basics
You don’t need to become a blockchain developer. But understand:
- What’s a wallet?
- How do blockchain credentials work?
- What’s an NFT beyond art speculation?
- What’s a DAO and why might organizations experiment with them?
2. Follow thought leaders
I recommended Balaji Srinivasan – formerly Coinbase CTO, now building 1729.com (a learning platform, notably). His podcast appearance on Tim Ferriss is a great entry point.
Other signals: Galaxy.eco for microcredentials, Accredible and Credly for blockchain credentialing.
3. Experiment
Get a wallet. Claim a blockchain credential. Join a learning DAO. You can’t evaluate these technologies from the outside.
4. Ask better questions
Instead of "Will Web3 kill L&D?" ask:
- "What learning needs do decentralized organizations have?"
- "How can blockchain credentials complement traditional degrees?"
- "What role can L&D play in helping organizations navigate these changes?"
5. Focus on fundamentals
The technology changes. The need for effective learning design doesn’t. Keep focusing on outcomes, engagement, transfer of learning. The tools are new, but the pedagogical principles remain.
What, If We Made the Best Product This New Tech Enables?
This was my favorite question from the conversation, and it appears as a quote on the podcast page:
"What, if we made the best product this new tech enables?"
Not "What can we shoehorn Web3 into?" but "What becomes possible with these primitives that wasn’t possible before?"
For learning, that might be:
- Truly portable credentials that follow you across employers, platforms, and geographies
- Peer-to-peer credentialing without centralized authorities
- Token-gated learning communities with provable membership and contributions
- DAO-based learning collectives where learners govern their own educational experiences
- Micropayments for knowledge sharing – tip someone for a helpful explanation, reward contributors directly
We don’t know yet which of these will matter. But asking "What’s the best version of this?" rather than "What’s wrong with this?" opens up possibility.
What I Learned
Talking to John and his L&D audience surfaced something important: Every professional community is grappling with Web3’s implications.
It’s not just developers and finance people. It’s educators, trainers, credential issuers, organizational designers.
The threat/opportunity dynamics are similar across domains:
- Technology that could disintermediate you
- Or create new roles for people who learn it
- Depends entirely on how you respond
The L&D community has an advantage: they’re skilled at learning new things and teaching others. If anyone should be able to navigate this transition, it’s people whose job is literally helping others learn and adapt.
I hope this conversation helped some of them see Web3 as an opportunity to shape rather than a threat to fear.
Resources Mentioned
Blockchain Credentials:
- Galaxy.eco – Blockchain credential infrastructure
- Accredible.com – Digital credential platform with blockchain options
- Credly – Digital badging and credentials
- PwC Blockchain Smart Credentials – Case study of enterprise implementation
Thought Leaders:
- Balaji Srinivasan – Former Coinbase CTO, check Tim Ferriss podcast episode
- 1729.com – Balaji’s platform (learning-focused!)
BIMA:
- British Interactive Media Association – bima.co.uk
- Blockchain Council – education and community
Additional Resource:
- Learning Pool white paper: "Suite Dreams: The Past, Present and Future of Learning Systems" (co-written by host John Helmer)
Podcast: The Learning Hack – Episode #54
Title: What Rough Beast with David Lockie
Host: John Helmer
Date: February 7, 2022
Duration: 47:03
Listen: Learning Hack Podcast
Also available on: Apple Podcasts
Find me: LinkedIn @davidlockie, Twitter @pragmaticweb (now @divydovy), divydovy.com
Note: This conversation happened in February 2022, before I joined Automattic as Web3 Lead. I was Co-chair of BIMA’s Blockchain Council and an independent consultant/investor. Some of my predictions about L&D and Web3 are still playing out. Others have evolved. That’s the nature of emerging technology discussions.