Review of “The Business Blockchain” by William Mougayar

The Business Blockchain by William Mougayar, is one of the most succinct books available on this topic. The “central” theme that runs through the book is “decentralization.” A pun is of course intended.

The book is less about Bitcoin and more about the underlying and path breaking Blockchain technology, as it should be. I have read several books on this topic where the authors just ramble on to fill pages, not so with Mougayar. He keeps the discussion solely focused on the blockchain and the technological  revolution it is unleashing in every domain we can think of where trust is key.

I enjoyed the way he created a simple yet powerful mnemonic aid for what the blockchain enables: ATOMIC.

A: Programmable Assets

T: Programmable Trust

O: Programmable Ownership

M: Programmable Money

I: Programmable Identity

C: Programmable Contracts

I cannot think of a more elegant way of summarizing the applications of blockchain technology and those in the field would do well to remember it. Another exciting portion of the book is the analogy made with the dawn of the internet age. Those familiar with that era, I am sure would identify with what is ongoing with Blockchain and associated applications. The key difference may be in the number of startups. The underlying enthusiasm is eerily similar and palpable.

Mougayar also proposes a functional building -block  style architecture for blockchain technologies. They include a core protocol, software development tools, off-chain and on-chain services, and end user products. The book is probably one of the best out there for startup leaders and other enthusiasts to read to get a great picture of blockchain based services and applications.

It’s a quick and worthwhile read. My rating is 4/5.