Guild Protocol
Can peer-to-peer coordination replace staffing industry extraction?
Thesis
The staffing industry extracts $184B annually by sitting between knowledge workers and the companies that need them. What if workers could coordinate directly through a protocol — no platform, no middleman, no 30% cut?
Research Methodology
Customer discovery interviews with independent consultants, staffing agency operators, and enterprise procurement teams. Market sizing analysis of the staffing and gig economy. Comparative study of existing P2P coordination mechanisms (DAOs, cooperatives, professional guilds).
Findings
The biggest barrier isn't technology — it's trust. Staffing agencies provide a trust layer (vetting, guarantees, dispute resolution) that's hard to replicate in a decentralized system. The protocol design focuses on reputation, stake-based guarantees, and dispute arbitration as first-class primitives.
Status
Whitepaper complete. Customer discovery ongoing. No code — deliberately staying in the research phase until the mechanism design is solid.