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𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗼, 𝘄𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘇.
A dear friend, a Radical World co-founder, and someone who profoundly changed my life.
I was in Portugal visiting my elderly mother and sister when I got the news. It wasn’t a surprise—Matt had been sick for a while—but it still landed heavily. I especially felt the distance from his beloved Anita and their sons, Adrian and Julian, who were his center.
Matt and I met thanks to the introduction of the always kind and caring 𝗗𝗼𝘂𝗴 𝗞𝗶𝗿𝗸𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗸. Doug sensed something in both of us—two people who had lived inside the machinery of traditional business and who had both come to believe that something fundamentally different was possible.
Matt didn’t just question “business as usual”—he 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 the alternative.
He co-created 𝗡𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁, a company defined not by hierarchy, but by trust. A place where people genuinely shared ownership—of decisions, direction, and bread. (He loved reminding us that “company” literally means breaking bread together. He lived that one well—especially if 𝗰𝗼𝘆𝗼𝘁𝗮𝘀 were involved.)
But Matt also carried a deep lesson from that chapter.
When Nearsoft was acquired—despite being self-managed and thriving—the sale happened quietly, under legal constraints. He and his cofounder were bound by NDAs and negotiation terms that forced them to keep it a secret from the very people who had built the company alongside them. The 𝗡𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻𝘀. That experience left a mark. Matt regretted that the company was sold 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 the people he most cherished and respected.
It was after that—following a conversation at the 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗼𝗽 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 in Sacramento—that co-ownership became a core theme of our work together.
Matt already knew that 𝗰𝗼-𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 could work—the people at Nearsoft had proven it. But he came to see that co-management alone isn’t enough if the reins of ownership remain in the hands of even the kindest monarchy. For the transformation to be real—and enduring—𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱.
That’s the vision we brought into 𝘙𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘦𝘴 and Radical 🌍 World.
We changed each other. We made each other stronger. We made each other clearer.
Matt was kind, committed, and generous. But what I’ll miss most is the part of him that was deeply, unapologetically 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥. He showed me that holding a strong view is not a problem—as long as you’re willing to let it go when something truer comes. That’s how we grew together.
In his final months, he was focused on one thing whenever we spoke:
That the world most of us see is shaped by 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺—a lens built on force, fear, and the illusion of control. He called it the 𝗙𝗶𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘀, and he wanted people to realize: we can choose a different lens.
He believed we could co-manage. Co-own. Co-create.
That we could shape organizations—and communities—that serve 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦, not just efficiency.
That’s what Matt wanted. That’s what I want. And that’s the work I will continue.
In these same past months, we’ve also lost two others close to us and this work:
• 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗲, a pioneer of collaborative agreements
• 𝗟𝗶𝗮 𝗔𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗶, co-founder of Enlivening Edge, which emerged from the vision of 𝗚𝗲𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗣ó𝗿
Their presence mattered. Their absence is deeply felt.
Matt, Lia, Stewart—you are missed.
And your work, your spirit, your vision—live on in all of us who are still building a Radical World.