Dr. Dominique Luchart

This is the first in a series exploring corporate governance in Newdawn 2098—a sci-fi universe I've been developing since 2011.
Full article on Medium: [newdawnblog.com/blog]
Complete worldbuilding: [newdawnblog.com]
What trades are you willing to make?
#WorldBuilding #SpeculativeFiction

This worldbuilding isn't just fiction—it's an interactive universe.
Newdawn Ascendance Universe Genesis includes:

Trading card game exploring these power dynamics
NFT collectibles of key characters & locations
Transmedia storytelling

Experience the world: newdawnshop.com
#TCG #NFT

But the trajectory isn't locked.
We can design futures that combine efficiency WITH accountability, optimization WITH equity, innovation WITH democratic values.
We have to see the pattern first.

But the trajectory isn't locked.
We can design futures that combine efficiency WITH accountability, optimization WITH equity, innovation WITH democratic values.
We have to see the pattern first.

When we celebrate efficiency without questioning whose needs get optimized out...
When we accept private solutions without asking what we're surrendering...
When we prioritize optimization over equity...
We're not preparing for Newdawn 2098. We're building it.

THE QUESTION ISN'T "COULD THIS HAPPEN?"
THE QUESTION IS: "ARE WE ALREADY CHOOSING THIS?"

WE'RE MAKING THESE TRADES NOW:

Privacy for convenience
Agency for efficiency
Democratic participation for expert management
Public goods for private services

Each seems reasonable. Each solves a real problem. Each moves us one step further.

WE'RE MAKING THESE TRADES NOW:

Privacy for convenience
Agency for efficiency
Democratic participation for expert management
Public goods for private services

Each seems reasonable. Each solves a real problem. Each moves us one step further.

The danger isn't malice. It's incrementalism. It's insidious.
Each rational choice makes sense in isolation but compounds into something we never explicitly chose.

PHASE TWO (2040-2060): The Efficiency Argument
The case becomes compelling:

Corporate decisions at market speed vs political speed
Clear metrics vs diffuse voter priorities
Rapid innovation vs procurement bureaucracy
Optimization vs legacy systems

These arguments are wrong. They are persuasive.

PHASE ONE (2025-2040): Private Solutions Outperform Public Institutions
We're already here.
Climate disasters: Who responds faster—FEMA or Amazon logistics?
Pandemics: Private sector deployed solutions faster than government.
Space: SpaceX vs NASA.
The pattern accelerates.

THE QUESTION ISN'T "COULD THIS HAPPEN?"
THE QUESTION IS: "ARE WE ALREADY CHOOSING THIS?"

WE'RE MAKING THESE TRADES NOW:

Privacy for convenience
Agency for efficiency
Democratic participation for expert management
Public goods for private services

Each seems reasonable. Each solves a real problem. Each moves us one step further.

The danger isn't malice. It's incrementalism.
Each rational choice makes sense in isolation but compounds into something we never explicitly chose.

WHY I WROTE THIS:
I didn't create Newdawn's corporate governance system because I think it's inevitable.
I created it because I think it's AVOIDABLE—but only if we see where current trends lead.

Because there's nowhere to walk away to.

The surveillance isn't oppressive—it's gamified.
Green = on track
Yellow = improvement needed
Red = ...nobody talks about red for long
Most find this acceptable. The food is decent. Housing is clean. There's entertainment, career paths.
What's missing: choice. Agency.

DAILY LIFE IN 2098:
You wake in corporate housing. Your wearable logged your sleep, stress, health—feeding your productivity score.
Your LOYALTY SCORE determines:

Housing tier
Healthcare access
Advancement opportunities
Social connections

Dissent drops your score. Overtime raises it.

Most people accept the trade. Not enthusiastically, but pragmatically.
When I developed this for Newdawn 2098, I asked myself: What would I choose if the alternative was chaos?
The honest answer: probably more than I'd like to admit.
That's what makes this unsettling.

THE COSTS ARE SUBTLE:
✗ Lose job = lose citizenship
✗ Mobility restricted to corporate zones
✗ Dissent = breach of contract
✗ Privacy surrendered for optimization
✗ Democracy becomes "shareholder governance"
✗ Your kids' opportunities = your employment tier

THE BENEFITS ARE REAL:
✓ Guaranteed employment & income
✓ Comprehensive healthcare
✓ Housing provision
✓ Skills training
✓ Clear hierarchies
✓ Stability

PHASE THREE (2060-2080): The Great Trade
Corporate Citizenship emerges.
You're not American or French—you're Tech Sector, Manufacturing Sector.
Your citizenship = your employment.

I see it in boardrooms—brilliant people optimizing systems without considering who gets optimized OUT.

But here's what's missing:
Who doesn't benefit from optimization?
What happens to the "inefficient"?
Where do democratic values fit in efficiency metrics?
How do you vote out a corporation?
These questions get lost in the appeal of "what works."

PHASE TWO (2040-2060): The Efficiency Argument
The case becomes compelling:

Corporate decisions at market speed vs political speed
Clear metrics vs diffuse voter priorities
Rapid innovation vs procurement bureaucracy
Optimization vs legacy systems

These arguments are not wrong, but are persuasive.

The question I keep asking: When private entities consistently outperform public institutions, what happens to the social contract?
Most don't have an answer. They're solving immediate problems, not thinking 50 years ahead.
That's my job as a futurist.

When I sit with founders mapping 10-year horizons, they're not asking "How do we work WITH government?"
They're asking "How do we work AROUND government?"
The shift is subtle but profound.

Through my work with founders on strategic foresight, I'm in rooms where these decisions are made.
Brilliant people making rational choices that, when mapped forward decades, lead somewhere most haven't considered.
This isn't prediction. It's pattern recognition.

What happens when corporations stop lobbying governments and simply become them?
I've been mapping this trajectory since 2011. In 2025, watching tech execs enter government and "efficiency" become policy language, the timeline has compressed.
I see.. 🧵
#Futurism #CorporateGovernance #SciFi #NFT #TCG

When Corporations Became Governments
What happens when corporations stop serving humanity — and start ruling it?
💼 In 2098, democracy was replaced by design. The Conclaves took control, blending power, profit, and AI oversight to create a world where loyalty replaced law.