Story Economy

William (Bill) Welser IV is a passionate, curious, and creative technologist. Zealous in working across business sectors to recognize patterns and spark value-amplifying products, his mission is to always take the bold route and develop fearless uses for technologies. Welser’s expertise was built from service as an officer in the United States Air Force where he helped design, test, and field advanced systems for space and air; a decade at the RAND Corporation as an executive and research leader; and previous experience as CTO, COO, and Chief of Labs for a handful of digital and advanced technology startups. His formal education includes a BS in Chemical Engineering (University of Virginia), a MS in Finance (Boston College), and a MBA (Boston College).  He is currently the founder, CEO, and CTO of Lotic.ai, the global well-being insights company he cofounded in 2020. At Lotic, his goal is to close the socio-economic gap and help people live more authentic lives with agency over their data. By tackling complex problems using storytelling, creating new uses for AI and data science, and empowering multidisciplinary teams of experts, he’s making that happen.   Welser lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife and three fabulous children. He loves writing, traveling, boxing, and drinking coffee with goats.

Praise for The Story Economy: “This book will change how you see yourself and the world. It’s proven for me our stories aren’t just memories, they’re currency for influence, growth, and transformation. This is not a book intended to be read…It’s a book to be used.”—Doug Downs, President, Stories and Strategies Podcast Productions “The Story Economy reframes our data as currency, empowering us to reclaim our narratives, protect our value, and shape a fairer future in the digital age.”—Farzana Baduel, President-elect, Chartered Institute of Public Relations “Welser urges readers to reconsider their relationship with technology in this debut nonfiction work.Per the author, humans have always been drawn to the psychological power of stories—the cave art at Sulawesi tells the tale of a Paleolithic hunting party from 45,000 years ago. Stories, at their core, reflect humanity’s ubiquitous desire for meaning. Yet, writes scholar and entrepreneur Welser, in an era of doomscrolling, AI-generated content for social media consumption, and influencers who peddle highly edited versions of their “real” lives, authentic stories are hard to find. Reflecting on a potential future economy in which, in the words of Bill Gates, “Humans won’t be needed for most things,” the author posits a novel, alternative economic model that allows individuals to break the manipulative tactics of “Big Tech” and restore their mental and physical well-being by leveraging their personal, authentic stories as “currency” in a “story-based marketplace.” While Welser’s promise to “rearrange capitalism” may be overly ambitious, the author offers convincing and harrowing social commentary on the destructive power of modern technology. (He compares smartphones to a “drug in [his] pocket, dependent on stimulation”). Among the many psychologically damaging aspects of technology covered in the book are Phantom Vibration Syndrome (a condition in which heavy phone users remain in a heightened state of alertness in anticipation of the next notification on their device) and the dopamine hits that become a daily part of an “internet junkie’s” daily routine. The author offers here a research-backed guidebook to freeing oneself from technology’s deprivations. As the former director of the Engineering and Applied Sciences Department at the RAND Corporation and the current CEO of Lotic.ai, Welser is far from a Luddite, and his insider’s perspective amplifies his dire warnings about unregulated Big Tech. The book’s engaging graphs and other visual aids accompany accessible text.A well-researched and surprisingly poignant commentary on the dangers of technology.”—Kirkus Reviews