This week, Git — the engine behind platforms like GitHub and a quiet champion of distributed work and decentralization for developers — celebrated its 20-year anniversary, coinciding with our founder Alexandru Iulian Florea’s own two-decade milestone in the tech industry. Here’s how Git shaped Iulian’s views on technology, the Internet, and the future Ice Open Network is helping build.
Growing Up With Git
Git and I grew up together. At sixteen, right around the time Git first emerged, I dropped out of school and jumped into tech. The classroom made me restless. I’ve always liked to do — to reimagine, mix, and apply concepts into something practical, rather than passively absorb knowledge. If Git were a person, I reckon these would be character traits we’d share. But what struck me most about Git, and what has stayed with me since, was its decentralized ethos — something that has fundamentally shaped the way I think about and build technology.
Decentralization in the Making
Git revolutionized software development because every contributor had a complete copy of the repository. No single authority could censor content, restrict access, or monopolize control. It wasn’t just about convenience or efficiency — it was about creating a level playing field where anyone curious enough could participate. That decentralization became the common ground where real progress happened, driven by genuine user needs rather than corporate gatekeepers.
Git didn’t emerge in a vacuum. It was born within the early spirit of the Internet — a time when open standards, transparency, and community-driven tools laid the groundwork for a more inclusive digital future, at least on paper. This was before platform monopolies and surveillance capitalism became the norm. Back then, there was a real sense that the Internet could be something fair — a tool to empower, not extract. Git fit right into that zeitgeist, embodying the idea that power should be distributed and participation open.
Git may not have been alone in this shift, but it became one of its most lasting, functional expressions: proof that decentralization could actually work, and work well. That spirit shaped not just how we built software, but how many of us began thinking about the future of the Internet itself.
When the Vision Goes Off-Track
Over the past twenty years, the idea of a new, fairer Internet also took shape — an Internet where users own their data and identity and interact freely online. It was an exciting vision, one that spoke to many of us who believed in decentralization as more than a technical model, but a social one.
Unfortunately, in recent years, that vision has often been derailed by speculative hype, a rush for investor attention, and short-term thinking. Too many projects promised empowerment but delivered little beyond empty buzzwords.
Git succeeded precisely because it avoided these pitfalls. It solved real problems — streamlining workflows, preserving data integrity, and empowering contributors with actual autonomy, not just the idea of it.
Practicality Over Innovation
My approach to technology mirrors Git’s practical success. I’ve never been one to chase shiny innovations — instead, I focus on assembling and refining existing solutions to comprehensively solve real user pain points. This mindset isn’t about disruption for disruption’s sake; it’s about designing technology that works for people, not the other way around.
That same philosophy runs through everything we do at Ice Open Network. Just like Git didn’t reinvent the wheel but made it usable, powerful, and accessible, ION builds on tools that already exist and makes them work for everyday users — not just developers or crypto insiders.
Git’s pragmatic rise has reinforced my belief that tech that lasts doesn’t need hype. It needs to be useful, respectful of users, and grounded in reality.
Decentralization That Just Works
This ethos now runs through everything we do at ION and our decentralized social platform, Online+. Instead of building niche blockchain tools for crypto insiders, we’ve built a flexible framework that allows anyone to create applications that meet real, everyday needs — apps that feel familiar, intuitive, and aligned with how people already use the Internet.
These tools aren’t designed to wow early adopters with jargon or complexity. They’re designed to work quietly, efficiently, and transparently — decentralization included. The blockchain runs under the hood, doing its job without forcing users to rethink how they interact online. No setup drama. No seed phrases. No technical hurdles. No more expecting users to act like sysadmins just to use an app. Just technology that respects the user by getting out of their way.
Our aim is simple: reclaim digital identities from centralized corporations and give people back control, privacy, and autonomy — without requiring them to radically change their habits or learn an entirely new language to do so.
Just like Git put autonomy and control in the hands of developers, we believe decentralization can do the same for everyone else. It creates a common ground where real, human-centered progress can happen — open to anyone curious enough to take part.
Looking Forward: Lessons from Git
After two decades in tech, I’m convinced decentralization isn’t just idealistic — it’s necessary. Git’s principles provide a clear roadmap for building a fairer, more transparent, and genuinely user-owned Internet. If we focus on practical, real-world solutions over hype, we can create a digital future rooted in curiosity, collaboration, user empowerment, and genuine value.
Git’s twenty years prove decentralization works — not as an abstract idea but as a pragmatic, powerful approach. As we build the future of the Internet, let’s remember that progress happens when we place real user needs front and center.
And let’s not forget: Git didn’t win because it was flashy. It won because it worked. That’s the bar. Two decades in, that’s still my north star.