Standing as a beacon of transformation, Jonathan MacDonald is guiding individuals and businesses towards a future defined by success and resilience. Renowned as one of the world’s most sought-after changemakers, Jonathan’s journey is a testament to his unwavering commitment to unlocking potential and driving digital transformation on a global scale.
With over three decades of experience spanning retail, entertainment, and strategy, Jonathan’s expertise is unparalleled. His journey began in the realm of music, where he made history as the youngest Chairman of the British Music Industries Association. This early success laid the foundation for a career marked by innovation and strategic vision.
As the Commercial Director for Ministry of Sound, he spearheaded the transformation of an analogue powerhouse into a digital juggernaut. His visionary leadership propelled the global expansion of the Ministry of Sound franchise, establishing it as a dominant force in the digital entertainment landscape. Jonathan’s groundbreaking initiatives, including the launch of the first-ever Sky TV station for musicians, revolutionized the way entertainment was consumed and distributed.
Jonathan’s impact extends far beyond the music industry. He is a seasoned entrepreneur and investor with a track record of success in founding and advising startups. His most recent venture, SELF, focuses on adaptive AI while prioritizing user data ownership and control. With a wealth of experience, Jonathan has provided strategic guidance to top-tier companies such as Google, Microsoft, and Apple, helping them navigate perpetual change and achieve profitable business strategies.
As a thought leader, Jonathan shares his insights through various publications, including Forbes and Google’s Think Insights. His book “Powered By Change” outlines ‘The Windmill Theory’ and demonstrates how businesses can thrive in dynamic environments. Jonathan’s latest book, “The Rise Of Advanced Thought,” delves into training the mind for success and is accompanied by The Academy of Advanced Thought, offering resources for mental development.
Jonathan’s influence transcends industries, as he leverages his expertise to empower individuals and businesses to navigate the complexities of change and digital transformation. As an award-winning, bestselling author and keynote speaker, Jonathan shares his insights on topics such as change, digital transformation, and mindset, inspiring audiences worldwide to embrace innovation and adaptability in an ever-evolving world.
Jonathan’s accolades and achievements are a testament to his pioneering spirit and visionary leadership. His ability to anticipate trends, harness emerging technologies, and drive strategic change has earned him a reputation as a true innovator and thought leader in his field. Whether advising Fortune 500 companies or inspiring entrepreneurs, Jonathan’s impact on the global business landscape is profound and enduring.
Below are highlights of the interview:
As the founder of the company, can you provide a brief overview of SELF and the innovative solutions it offers?
SELF is a private, ethical, adaptive AI platform that assists you based on your preferences, characteristics, and needs. Its mission is to learn and understand, and serve you. Think of SELF as your digital twin, your very own private and personal storage bank, a digital footprint of your life.
Our ambition is for SELF to seamlessly integrate with your daily routines to make your life easier and more enjoyable. For this to manifest, SELF will be the engine room for self-sovereign applications inside a decentralized blockchain protocol called Entirety – an Operating System powered by your SELF.
What inspired you to start SELF, and what motivated you to pursue entrepreneurship?
Since I first used computers as a child, I dreamt of harmonious and fulfilling machine-human interaction. As the World Wide Web was distributed, I saw a gradual move towards a more cynical and sycophantic structure, where humans became batteries that powered massive empires that ignored and abused human rights. I wrote about this in several books and even proposed an alternative called System Effective Lifestyle Filtering (or SELF, when abbreviated).
In terms of ‘being an entrepreneur’, I’ve never considered it to be something I’m pursuing; I’ve just been trying to reverse-engineer a situation where humans are disrespected into an environment where humans can live their best lives with subservient technology that enables that.
Can you share a pivotal moment or experience that shaped your entrepreneurial journey?
Whenever something doesn’t work out as planned, it is a pivotal moment for me, as that is when the learning process kicks in. If we let them, these moments will shape the journey productively. My first major “failure” (or what I would call “learning”) was when I put every cent I had into a TV channel with a business partner, who then screwed me over comprehensively. I lost everything and had to start from scratch. However, I started again with an immense understanding that would have been inaccessible before the so-called “failure.” I believe things are only failures when we fail to learn.
What innovative technologies or approaches does SELF bring to the market, and how do they differentiate your company from competitors?
The key differentiation is that SELF is made for you to be in control. Your information is private, rather than contributing to a large algorithm tuned to make corporate shareholders masses of money. You are in control of what is stored and how it’s used. As SELF becomes the powering mechanism of the Entirety OS, developers will build numerous applications powered by your SELF, adding even more sovereign control of digital experiences in the future.
What have been some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced as an entrepreneur, and how have you overcome them?
The largest one has been trust. It’s hard to learn to trust after others have broken trust. That’s also associated with control, and I imagine learning to let go of control is tough for many of us. Motivation and keeping the fire alive is relatively simple, provided that what I’m doing is directly in concert with what I believe in. Regarding business processes and cash flow, the largest challenges have been raising money from investors who don’t see the bigger picture and want proven returns. I think the investment landscape is riddled with fundamental issues in that way – although ethical impact investors are far easier to deal with as they often try to make a difference that truly matters over and above a financial return. This isn’t to say that profit is bad – it’s just that if it’s the main thing, then other elements will be reduced.
What leadership principles guide your approach to leading SELF, and how do you foster a positive company culture?
Giving people permission to test, learn, and improve is vital to leading projects, teams, and companies. I’m passionate about finding talented people and giving them enough breathing space to be excellent. I’m pretty strict regarding progress; however, things have to move forward. Wasting time and a lack of accountability are my nemesis. Provided that these components are well understood, I think I’m a pretty straightforward leader! Be honest, own your own stuff, and do things that close the gap between where we are and where we are headed.
How do you empower your team to innovate and contribute to the company’s success?
Empowerment is vital to innovation. At its foundation, innovation requires us to test things that may not have existed before, and this means that empowering people to experiment is of primary importance. At an even more basic level, though, knowing what you stand for and leveraging others who stand for the same thing creates a belief syntax that is hard to beat and incredibly productive.
Are there any key trends or developments in the industry that you’re closely monitoring or actively shaping?
One of the most positive trends is the increasing awareness that ethics and morals are more than buzzwords. This trend cannot be loud enough, in my opinion. One of the least positive trends is the continued lack of understanding and appreciation of human rights in technology. The human right to freedom is one of the most salient rights eroded by parasitic technology platforms today. Human rights aren’t considered more important than profit to many business people. Equally, giving over control to platform users is seen to be riddled with issues, mainly that it’s harder to have power over something that isn’t contained. When an organization has the option to enable freedom for others, it’s often down to how much control the organization desires. Where is the line drawn between what is controlled by people versus what is controlled for people? It is my belief that we can build structures that enable people to be free, yet, just as the two-edged sword of freedom illustrates, we must balance that provision of liberty with responsibility.
Our Six Commitments at SELF:
- To make decisions that are in accordance with human rights.
- To not cause or enable harm whilst upholding those rights.
- To enable people to have control and ownership of their own data,and decide how it is used.
- To be fully transparent in our practices so that people understand how we operate.
- To uphold regulation and legislation in whatever territories we operate.
- To not sacrifice any of our responsibilities in pursuing commercial gain.
With these commitments in mind, I believe we can bring something to the world that enables people to live more fulfilling lives.
What are your long-term goals and aspirations for SELF, and how do you plan to achieve them?
SELF will be the engine room for the Entirety Operating System, which is being constructed. The long-term goal is for developers to build in this system and to offer an alternative to the hierarchical system where people are ‘lesser than’ the platform’s other objectives. Even if we can achieve the foundational elements, we will have at least started the ball rolling in a direction that’s more in harmony with nature.
Website: self.app
