We had a number of discussions about it, and found a potential route forward, but it was a very different business model from how he is making money now. In the end, he decided he didn't want to risk the money he's making now for a more uncertain path.
It was an extremely useful exercise, though, and a good way to understand what's out there and how it can be used. I think the version of web3 you mention is possible, but it's so different from how businesses operate now that it will take a very successful high profile company built from the ground up around web3 for the ideas to go anywhere. The risk just feels too high for existing companies, and even most new startups. You're turning over a lot of control and trying to succeed anyway.
Which is also what leads to the parasocial relationships crypto enthusiasts wind up having with web 3 projects and their founders
The founders need economic incentives and the successful ones do that to great efficacy, and all the other participants have far more risk and fewer resources to make anything with the new protocol, so they dont
It requires incredible privilege to be able to launch something for free, and its equally laughable for web 3 communities to suggest that
So the market moves towards these big token sales and everything else is tolerated fallout