# Joi Ito's Web > Personal website of Joichi "Joi" Ito -- venture capitalist, university president, writer, and practitioner of tea ceremony, exploring the intersections of technology, society, Japanese culture, and Buddhist philosophy. --- ## Biography (Full name: Joichi Ito, 伊藤穰一) Joichi "Joi" Ito is a venture capitalist, entrepreneur, writer, and scholar focusing on the transformation of society and technology. Ito is the President of the Chiba Institute of Technology (千葉工業大学, also known as Chiba Tech) and Co-Founder of Digital Garage. He is a director of gmjp, an early-stage web3 fund, the Director of the Center for Radical Transformation (変革センター, also known as the Henkaku Center) at Chiba Tech, and a Visiting Professor at Fujita Health University. He is also the Co-Founder of the Neurodiversity School in Tokyo. He serves on the board of the Gelephu Mindfulness City Authority (GMCA) and is the CEO of the Gelephu Investment and Development Corporation (GIDC). He served as Director of the MIT Media Lab from 2011 to 2019. Ito was Chairman of the Board of PureTech Health and was previously the Board Chair and Chief Executive of Creative Commons. He has served on other boards, including at The New York Times Company, Sony Corporation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the Mozilla Foundation, the Open Source Initiative, and the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC). Ito was an early investor in many startup companies, including Oura, Flickr, Formlabs, Kickstarter, and Twitter. In 2011, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Oxford Internet Institute for his work as one of the world's leading Internet activists. He received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from The New School in New York City in 2013 and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Tufts University two years later. In 2013, he was inducted into the SxSW Interactive Hall of Fame. In 2017, he received the IRI Medal and was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The following year, the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives and the Antiracist Research & Policy Center named Ito to the FD200, a list of 200 people whose work and activism on behalf of equality and freedom reflects the spirit of Frederick Douglass. In 2019, EPIC presented Ito with its Champion of Freedom Award. He earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree from Keio University Graduate School of Media and Governance in 2018 for his thesis, "The Practice of Change." He is a Guest Researcher at Keio University's Cyber Civilization Research Center. Born in Kyoto. His writings, podcasts, and other works can be found on his website. Source: [https://joi.ito.com/bio.html](https://joi.ito.com/bio.html) --- ## Tea Ceremony, Zen, and Japanese Culture ### Morning Thick Tea and Yuen *November 9, 2024* Time: 5:30 Scroll: "yuen" by Kitaro Nishida Bowl: 9th Ohi Chozaemon Tea: Hoshinoen "Hojyu" Had a nice bowl of thick tea this chilly morning. Nishida is the founder of the Kyoto School of Philosophy and one of the founding members of the Chiba Institute of Technology. The scroll says "yuen" and it means far and distant in time and space or eternity. Tea practice has made me much more aware of time - many of the utensils we use are hundreds of years old, and the scrolls and the utensils we use will likely continue to be used for hundreds of years. Hold an ancient bowl; one can imagine when it was made, the people who handled it, and the society and history surrounding them. Then, it is easy to imagine the bowl in the future and the people and cultures they will live in. Then stretch and keep pushing time in the past and the future until you envision eternity. Source: [https://joi.ito.com/weblog/2024/11/09/morning-thick-t.html](https://joi.ito.com/weblog/2024/11/09/morning-thick-t.html) ### True North Between the Dragons *April 1, 2024* This calligraphy mounted on a hanging scroll was written by the Zen monk Sogan Kogetsu, who lived from November 8, 1574 to August 19, 1643, in the Momoyama period in the early Edo period. He was the chief priest of Daitokuji Temple. He was the son of Munenori Tsuda, a wealthy merchant in Sakai who served Oda Nobunaga and Toyotomi Hideyoshi as a tea master. In 1611, he took over the Kuroda family's family temple, sub-temple Ryuko-in which contains Mittan, a national treasure tea room. The calligraphy characters are: 斗指両辰間 - toshi ryoushin no kan 斗 means "dipper" and refers to the Big Dipper which always points to true north. 指 means "to point." Together, they mean to point to true north. 両 means "both" and 辰 means "dragon" and "間" means space. "両辰間" means the space between the two dragons. The two dragons represent extremes in a dichotomy such as good and evil, light and dark. The phrase means that you should find your true north and follow it and navigate between the extremes. The "middle way" is often described in Buddhism. This hanging scroll is also very appropriate for this year because it is the Year of the Dragon and somehow relevant to my own life. It's currently hanging in the President's office at the Chiba Institute of Technology. Source: [https://joi.ito.com/weblog/2024/04/01/true-north-betw.html](https://joi.ito.com/weblog/2024/04/01/true-north-betw.html) ### Ikezu stickers of Kyoto people with a hidden side *June 22, 2024* I was born in Kyoto and Kyoto is one of my favorite cities. It's rich with culture and nuance. One of the hardest things for non-Kyoto people to navigate is the many layers of politeness. Everyone smiles at you and treats you very nicely. However, it's quite dangerous to take everything at face value. The people of Kyoto often tell you what they want you to do, veiled in a nice-sounding statement or request, which is hard for non-Kyoto people to understand. Sometimes, if you take the comment or offer at face value, you will be shunned without even knowing it. I saw some wonderful stickers on Twitter that show what Kyoto people might say, "tatemae," and the reverse side that shows what they really mean, "honne." I asked permission to translate the stickers so non-Japanese people could understand them. However, upon translating them, I realized that the politeness of the "tatemae" and the rudeness of the "honne" doesn't really come through in English, but I think you'll get the gist. This "ikezu culture" has long been recognized as uniquely Kyoto. Just as Osaka has turned the prefectural stereotype of comedians into a tourism resource, Kyoto's "ikezu" should also become a tourism resource. Examples from the product lineup: - Toilet section: Front text: "My toilet seat may not be the most comfortable, but if you don't mind, please try it." Back text: "Don't do it standing up, okay?" - Entrance: Front text: "How nice to see you. Did you go to Lake Biwa?" Back text: "You come here looking dirty! Go wash everything in the Kamogawa River." - Dining table: Front text: "You know what? It's okay to eat buckwheat noodles with a slurping sound." Back text: "Kucha kucha kucha you're noisy!" Source: [https://joi.ito.com/weblog/2024/06/22/ikezu-stickers-.html](https://joi.ito.com/weblog/2024/06/22/ikezu-stickers-.html) ### No mud, no lotus *July 15, 2023* 泥中之蓮 emerging from my long-neglected Japanese calligraphy. The symbol on the bottom is my kao (花押) which is a kind of kanji signature derived from my first name Joichi (穰一). Fudepen on back of index card. Thich Nhat Hanh, one of my favorite Buddhist monks, often said, "No Mud, No Lotus." This is very similar to the saying, deichuunohasu (泥中之蓮, でいちゅうのはす), which translates to "lotus in the mud." In Buddhism, the mud symbolizes suffering and darkness, from which emerges the lotus flower. Without the mud, the lotus would not emerge. There are sutras and meditations where one imagines oneself as the seed of the lotus emerging out of the mud. Recently I've been studying and practicing Japanese tea ceremony, and one of the key elements of the tea room and the ritual is to choose a hanging scroll, often with something written on it by a monk. In my group, I have started exchanging seasonal Zen sayings and proverbs before tea sessions as a way to study both tea and Japanese. I've also started practicing my Japanese handwriting and calligraphy, which is in an abysmal state. This week's proverb was "泥中之蓮" which is seasonal because this is the week that lotuses are to begin opening according to the Japanese seasonal calendar. As I repeatedly wrote the proverb in my slowly improving, long-neglected handwriting, the characters emerged from my brush like the lotus trying to grow out of the mud. Along with the characters emerged a resonance with my own life which feels like a lotus trying to emerge from the mud of the last few years. It is also a societal metaphor for our society trying to come together around a common purpose and harmony in the midst of a truly mud-like moment in history. Source: [https://joi.ito.com/weblog/2023/07/15/no-mud-no-lotus.html](https://joi.ito.com/weblog/2023/07/15/no-mud-no-lotus.html) --- ## Technology, Society, and Policy ### Regarding Recent Media Coverage and Social Media Comments *March 3, 2026* A statement addressing media coverage related to documents released by the U.S. Department of Justice containing emails between Ito and Jeffrey Epstein. Ito explains the context of MIT Media Lab fundraising, how the donations were accepted with MIT senior administration approval under conditions of anonymity and unrestricted use, and that an independent investigation by Goodwin Procter confirmed no laws or rules were violated. He resigned from MIT in September 2019 because he judged it to be in the best interest of MIT and its students. The full Goodwin Procter report has been publicly available since January 2020. Source: [https://joi.ito.com/weblog/2026/03/03/statement-on-media-coverage.html](https://joi.ito.com/weblog/2026/03/03/statement-on-media-coverage.html) ### The World Is Complex. Measuring Charity Has to Be Too *June 12, 2019* A critique of oversimplified impact metrics in philanthropy. Argues that effective altruism's focus on quantifiable outcomes can distort charitable giving by favoring easily measurable interventions over complex systemic change. The essay draws on complexity theory to argue for more nuanced approaches to measuring social impact. Source: [https://joi.ito.com/weblog/2019/06/12/the-world-is-co.html](https://joi.ito.com/weblog/2019/06/12/the-world-is-co.html) ### Is philanthropy a bad excuse for limiting strong government? *May 22, 2019* Questions whether the rise of mega-philanthropy serves as a substitute for robust government programs, potentially undermining democratic accountability. Explores the tension between private charitable giving and public investment in social services. Source: [https://joi.ito.com/weblog/2019/05/22/is-philanthropy.html](https://joi.ito.com/weblog/2019/05/22/is-philanthropy.html) ### Impact Investment Metrics and Their Limitations *May 14, 2019* Analysis of how impact measurement frameworks in social investment can create perverse incentives. Discusses the challenges of quantifying social good and the risk that metrics become the goal rather than the actual impact. Source: [https://joi.ito.com/weblog/2019/05/14/impact-investme.html](https://joi.ito.com/weblog/2019/05/14/impact-investme.html) ### The Practice of Change (PhD Dissertation) *October 6, 2018* Ito's doctoral thesis argues that practice-based approaches are essential for addressing complex societal challenges that cannot be solved through traditional analytical methods alone. Drawing on his experience at Creative Commons and MIT Media Lab, the thesis explores how iterative practice, community engagement, and adaptive strategies can drive meaningful societal transformation. Source: [https://joi.ito.com/weblog/2018/10/06/the-practice-of.html](https://joi.ito.com/weblog/2018/10/06/the-practice-of.html) ### Resisting Reduction: A Manifesto *December 18, 2017* A manifesto arguing against the reductionist tendency in Silicon Valley to treat the world as an optimization problem. Ito argues that the interconnected complexity of biological, social, and technological systems cannot be reduced to simple metrics or controlled through top-down engineering. He draws on the work of Norbert Wiener, Donella Meadows, and Buddhist philosophy to advocate for an approach that embraces complexity, diversity, and humility rather than seeking to optimize for singular objectives. Key argument: "Singularitarians and Superintelligence worshippers" are making the same mistake as central planners who believed they could optimize society from the top down. Instead, we should design for resilience, diversity, and participation. Source: [https://joi.ito.com/weblog/2017/12/18/resisting-reduc.html](https://joi.ito.com/weblog/2017/12/18/resisting-reduc.html) ### Society-in-the-Loop AI *June 23, 2016* Proposes a framework for AI governance that extends the "human-in-the-loop" concept to include society as a whole. Rather than relying solely on individual human oversight of AI systems, Ito argues for institutional, cultural, and democratic mechanisms to keep AI aligned with collective human values and social norms. Source: [https://joi.ito.com/weblog/2016/06/23/society-in-the-.html](https://joi.ito.com/weblog/2016/06/23/society-in-the-.html) --- ## Research (PubPub) - [Research Statement](https://joi.pubpub.org/pub/research-statement): Academic research overview covering Ito's work on the ethics and governance of technology, complex systems, and practice-based approaches to societal transformation - [Reinventing Bookkeeping and Accounting](https://joi.pubpub.org/pub/reinventing-bookkeeping): Applying blockchain and distributed ledger concepts to centuries-old accounting challenges - [From the perspective of the microbes](https://joi.pubpub.org/pub/from-the-perspective-of-the-microbes): Exploring complex systems through biological metaphors -- what we can learn from microbial communities about designing human systems --- ## Books ### Whiplash: How to Survive Our Faster Future (2016) Co-authored with Jeff Howe. Presents nine organizing principles for navigating an era of rapid technological change, drawn from Ito's experience at the MIT Media Lab: 1. Emergence over Authority 2. Pull over Push 3. Compasses over Maps 4. Risk over Safety 5. Disobedience over Compliance 6. Practice over Theory 7. Diversity over Ability 8. Resilience over Strength 9. Systems over Objects --- ## Podcast (Japanese) Joi Ito's Podcast (伊藤穰一のポッドキャスト) is a weekly Japanese-language show covering AI, technology, traditional Japanese culture, tea ceremony, and conversations with artisans, craftspeople, monks, and technologists. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. The podcast frequently features deep conversations about Japanese traditional crafts (真田紐, 着物, 茶道具), the intersection of Zen Buddhism and technology, the "Cracked Engineer" concept (AI-augmented developers), and the Henkaku community. Recent topics include: tea ceremony architecture, the economics of traditional craft industries, AI coding practices, modular design philosophies in Japanese traditional arts, and Kyoto School philosophy. Source: [https://joi.ito.com/jp/archives/category/podcasts/](https://joi.ito.com/jp/archives/category/podcasts/) --- ## Key Concepts and Themes **Henkaku (変革)**: Japanese word meaning "transformation" or "radical change." The name of both the Center for Radical Transformation at Chiba Tech and the Henkaku Community, a web3-enabled community exploring new forms of organization and governance. **Small is Beautiful**: Influenced by E.F. Schumacher's economics, Ito advocates for human-scale technology and organizations rather than giantism. This philosophy connects his work in web3, tea ceremony, and university leadership. **Antidisciplinary**: Ito coined and popularized the concept of working in the spaces between and beyond traditional academic disciplines, rather than being constrained by disciplinary boundaries. **Practice over Theory**: A recurring theme across Ito's work -- the idea that complex problems are best addressed through iterative practice and engagement rather than top-down theoretical frameworks. --- ## Site Structure - English blog: [https://joi.ito.com/](https://joi.ito.com/) -- Active since 1997, ~5000+ posts covering technology, policy, culture, and personal reflections - Japanese site: [https://joi.ito.com/jp/](https://joi.ito.com/jp/) -- Blog and podcast in Japanese, weekly podcast episodes since 2022 - Bio: [https://joi.ito.com/bio.html](https://joi.ito.com/bio.html) - Research: [https://joi.pubpub.org/](https://joi.pubpub.org/) ### Blog Categories (English) Major categories by post count: Tea Ceremony, Buddhism, Japanese Culture, Creative Commons, Emergent Democracy, Privacy, Intellectual Property, Media and Journalism, Social Software, AI Ethics, web3, Venture Capital, Technology Controversy, Health and Medicine, Global Politics, US Policy and Politics ### Blog Categories (Japanese) Major categories: Podcasts (199 posts), JOIの日記 (153), WIRED INSIGHT (12), アート＆音楽 (15), 茶道 (2), 学術的なお話 (22), 健康＆薬品 (22), テクノロジーに関する議論 (15)