By: Elowen Gray

During the frenzied rise of the Internet, a handful of names gained attention for building empires. But there are far fewer who earned recognition for raising concerns about what might collapse. Scott Cleland is one of those rare voices. Not because he resisted innovation, but because he recognized its potential consequences early. He remained driven by truth in an era driven by hype. And for more than three decades, he has practiced what he calls “forthright foresight,” offering guidance to some of the world’s most influential players through a landscape most didn’t yet understand.

The Early Years: Assessing the Telecom Earthquake

Cleland began his journey not as a rebel, but as a strategic insider. As early as 1993, he anticipated the passage of the 1996 Telecom Act. Not only that, but he also identified potential winners and losers in its wake with notable accuracy. Long before most investors fully grasped the implications of deregulation, Cleland had outlined its likely trajectories. This ability to analyze outcomes rooted in structural dynamics became his hallmark.

By the late 1990s, he was raising concerns about WorldCom. When Wall Street remained focused on growth projections, Cleland highlighted inconsistencies in the model. His analysis diverged from the prevailing narrative, and his warnings were later validated when WorldCom collapsed in what was then the largest accounting scandal in U.S. history.

Raising Concerns: The Dotcom Collapse

Perhaps Cleland’s most notable intervention came at the height of the Dotcom bubble. At a time when investors were being presented with claims that Internet data traffic was growing at more than 1000% annually, Cleland’s research suggested the actual figure was closer to 100%. He observed that an entire segment of the market was being priced based on optimistic assumptions rather than fundamentals. The crash that followed erased trillions in value. Cleland, however, had helped his clients navigate the worst of it. He didn’t do this with slogans. He did it with data, logic, and a commitment to inconvenient truths.

Building Ethics into the System

After the crash, Cleland didn’t disappear. He testified before Congress about conflicts of interest that played a role in the crisis. He also co-founded the Investorside Research Association, an organization dedicated to promoting unbiased, ethics-driven financial analysis. It was the first association in American finance to require a public code of ethics for membership. This wasn’t merely a symbolic gesture. It was a direct response to the systemic failures Cleland had long sought to address.

Googleopoly and the Emergence of Macro-Level Foresight

As Big Tech began to rise, Cleland once again identified trends others missed. In 2007, he testified before the Senate about the potential monopolistic implications of Google’s acquisition of DoubleClick. This wasn’t based on speculation. It was backed by detailed research on user data concentration and market behavior. He would go on to publish more than two dozen white papers under the term “Googleopoly,” examining the structural risks of unchecked digital consolidation.

Over time, Cleland recognized that isolated analysis wasn’t enough. The Internet was not just a sector or a technology. It was a macro-system that touched every other domain. This realization gave birth to Macrointernetics®, a new research discipline focused on understanding how Internet design flaws, legal structures, and policy failures impact society at large. Cleland proposed that the Internet might not be sovereign, not reciprocal, and not accountable. This made it fundamentally different from any system that came before it. And without a framework to study it, he argued, society was operating without full visibility.

Section 230 and the Culture of Unaccountability

Among the most enduring themes in Cleland’s work is the role of Section 230 in shaping the Internet’s power dynamics. In his view, Section 230 did not just protect speech. It encouraged a lack of accountability. By shielding platforms from liability while letting them control discourse, it created an environment where economic incentives and ethical responsibilities were misaligned. Through his non-profit, Restore Us Institute, he published influential research that contributed to the growing bipartisan calls for reform.

The Puzzle-Piece Perspective

The Precursor brand that Cleland built is represented by a puzzle piece. It’s more than a logo. It reflects his belief that understanding the future requires assembling fragments that others overlook. Whether it’s assessing monopolistic behaviors, analyzing economic distortions, or advocating for regulatory change, Cleland consistently offers perspectives that help others see the whole picture.

His approach is not reactive. It’s proactive. He doesn’t chase headlines. He studies causes. And in doing so, he empowers others to act with clarity rather than confusion.

The Info-Data Prosperity Thesis

In recent writings, Cleland has presented a new thesis: that America’s greatest untapped resource is not just physical or financial capital, but its vast, often misgoverned, data infrastructure. In his Substack piece “America’s Info-Data Prosperity Opportunity,” he suggests that reclaiming control over data flows and applying reciprocal accountability could play a role in national resilience.

This is not a tech utopia. It is a vision grounded in institutional reform, ethical design, and strategic clarity. Cleland contends that unless we rethink how the Internet intersects with democracy, capitalism, and governance, we may undermine the very systems we depend on.

The Value of Forthrightness in a Fog of Hype

Scott Cleland’s story is not one of opposition. It is one of the responsibilities. He has advocated for accountability in a domain that too often celebrates disruption for its own sake. He has warned about policy decisions that could reinforce monopoly power while suppressing dissent. And he has consistently noted that the Internet is not just a platform. It is a force. One that can be shaped for good or ill.

His role as a ProvenPrecursor® is not defined by his critics, but by his record. Cleland reminds us that long-term thinking still matters. And that seeing the world whole, not just the profitable part, could be essential to leading it responsibly.

Published by Stephanie M.