This is the type of peaceful disruption that can change lives and fundamentally change many of the problems that seem inescapable with our society. I am willing to do my part to help. Let me know if you need a believer in the mission, we all need to lean in towards change
SafetyWing is a privately held and controlled company, Lauren! Round B in April 2022. Hard to trust you, considering the history of SafetyWing not covering covid and spinning $0 deductible pivot as not being simply higher gross margin $play. https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/safetywing/company_financials
And don't get us started on Levelsio. Nomad list is an info aggregator nothing more. He charges and positions as a social network, but where's that network development. That's right - he's addicted to launching other unrelated products, not developing the network/community
You gotta realize there are a whole lot of nomads who do NOT reach out to you BECAUSE of your active affiliation with SafetyWing plumia Corporate cabal...
You'll figure out how to pivot out of that eventually. Corporations have an inevitable path.
Hey, thanks for your comment—I appreciate both your directness and your passion!
It’s true that when the pandemic hit, Covid wasn’t part of SafetyWing’s coverage (the same was true for most insurance providers). Shortly after, we became one of the first companies to include it. Our team worked hard to help customers with cancellations, assisted them in getting home safely, and communicated as transparently as possible.
TL;DR: we tried to do the right thing in a situation that caught the entire world off guard.
On funding: yes, SafetyWing is privately owned and VC-backed. Building something as ambitious as a global social safety net takes serious resources, and the company has raised $50 million so far to support that work.
I’ve been with SafetyWing for three years because I genuinely believe in what we’re building. The goal isn’t just to sell insurance—it’s to create infrastructure for a more connected, mobile world. A big part of that is Plumia, the nonprofit I run within the company, where we’re working on global mobility and the vision of a country on the internet (https://lraz.io/minimum-viable-state/).
On Nomad List: Pieter’s focus has always been on building tools, not fostering community, and he’s said so explicitly in interviews. While that approach may not resonate with everyone, his tools have undeniably helped many navigate the complexities of nomad life.
On your skepticism about corporations: I get it. In my younger days as a journalist and activist, I had similar concerns. Having worked across nonprofits, media, government, and tech, I’ve seen that every sector has its advantages and drawbacks. Not every organisation or product is a fit for everyone, and that’s okay.
At the end of the day, I’m here to share ideas and work toward solutions I believe in. I respect that we may see things differently, but I appreciate you reading and taking the time to share your thoughts.
“ How do you balance freedom and connection? What will it take to create a world where everyone can belong, move, and thrive—together?”
I think it starts with shared goals and interests. I'm working on this in Born Without Borders. When we share a goal, we can build bridges across ideological and cultural divides, but to stick together while trying to achieve that goal, we need to find shared interests.
Plus, active listening. I write a lot about cultural psychology and competency, but in the end, a lot of that information can be put aside if a person truly feels listened to. No matter the culture, we want to feel understood. I teach people from around the world and ideological spectrum, and in the end, it all comes down to showing people that you want to understand them.
Well, speaking as one growing up in an environment with a heavy social security net; it definitely got its advantages, one ends up taking it for granted - and fail to see the limitations that come with the enablement. Its not easy to move; high taxes (like almost 40% income + product taxes) mean that international payrates can be quite ... unsatisfactory unless earning past a certain amount. Dependency, a problem which SafetyWing may be mitigating and the likes.
The scary part tho, and what may be a challenge for any social safety infrastructure, is how it becomes misused as a fix; lives can be neglected without much consequence - networks do not care, they got money and are well fed anyway, fixed up with entertainment and drugs. It is a core component in modern oppression, that likes to misuse medical ethos, oppressive explaining and the likes; here, I wrote about it, based on knowledge, horrifying experiences (read the production-line segment last, but do read it, its like really important) and the likes archive.org/details/pandemic-oppression. I figure something like firewalls are required, however wrongs incurred on lives in the past need mitigation as well, lest the issue but regrow in a different form.
This is the type of peaceful disruption that can change lives and fundamentally change many of the problems that seem inescapable with our society. I am willing to do my part to help. Let me know if you need a believer in the mission, we all need to lean in towards change
I couldn’t agree more! I’m so glad the ideas in this essay spoke to you and the world you want to see ❤️
SafetyWing is a privately held and controlled company, Lauren! Round B in April 2022. Hard to trust you, considering the history of SafetyWing not covering covid and spinning $0 deductible pivot as not being simply higher gross margin $play. https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/safetywing/company_financials
And don't get us started on Levelsio. Nomad list is an info aggregator nothing more. He charges and positions as a social network, but where's that network development. That's right - he's addicted to launching other unrelated products, not developing the network/community
You gotta realize there are a whole lot of nomads who do NOT reach out to you BECAUSE of your active affiliation with SafetyWing plumia Corporate cabal...
You'll figure out how to pivot out of that eventually. Corporations have an inevitable path.
Hey, thanks for your comment—I appreciate both your directness and your passion!
It’s true that when the pandemic hit, Covid wasn’t part of SafetyWing’s coverage (the same was true for most insurance providers). Shortly after, we became one of the first companies to include it. Our team worked hard to help customers with cancellations, assisted them in getting home safely, and communicated as transparently as possible.
TL;DR: we tried to do the right thing in a situation that caught the entire world off guard.
On funding: yes, SafetyWing is privately owned and VC-backed. Building something as ambitious as a global social safety net takes serious resources, and the company has raised $50 million so far to support that work.
I’ve been with SafetyWing for three years because I genuinely believe in what we’re building. The goal isn’t just to sell insurance—it’s to create infrastructure for a more connected, mobile world. A big part of that is Plumia, the nonprofit I run within the company, where we’re working on global mobility and the vision of a country on the internet (https://lraz.io/minimum-viable-state/).
On Nomad List: Pieter’s focus has always been on building tools, not fostering community, and he’s said so explicitly in interviews. While that approach may not resonate with everyone, his tools have undeniably helped many navigate the complexities of nomad life.
On your skepticism about corporations: I get it. In my younger days as a journalist and activist, I had similar concerns. Having worked across nonprofits, media, government, and tech, I’ve seen that every sector has its advantages and drawbacks. Not every organisation or product is a fit for everyone, and that’s okay.
At the end of the day, I’m here to share ideas and work toward solutions I believe in. I respect that we may see things differently, but I appreciate you reading and taking the time to share your thoughts.
“ How do you balance freedom and connection? What will it take to create a world where everyone can belong, move, and thrive—together?”
I think it starts with shared goals and interests. I'm working on this in Born Without Borders. When we share a goal, we can build bridges across ideological and cultural divides, but to stick together while trying to achieve that goal, we need to find shared interests.
Plus, active listening. I write a lot about cultural psychology and competency, but in the end, a lot of that information can be put aside if a person truly feels listened to. No matter the culture, we want to feel understood. I teach people from around the world and ideological spectrum, and in the end, it all comes down to showing people that you want to understand them.
Well, speaking as one growing up in an environment with a heavy social security net; it definitely got its advantages, one ends up taking it for granted - and fail to see the limitations that come with the enablement. Its not easy to move; high taxes (like almost 40% income + product taxes) mean that international payrates can be quite ... unsatisfactory unless earning past a certain amount. Dependency, a problem which SafetyWing may be mitigating and the likes.
The scary part tho, and what may be a challenge for any social safety infrastructure, is how it becomes misused as a fix; lives can be neglected without much consequence - networks do not care, they got money and are well fed anyway, fixed up with entertainment and drugs. It is a core component in modern oppression, that likes to misuse medical ethos, oppressive explaining and the likes; here, I wrote about it, based on knowledge, horrifying experiences (read the production-line segment last, but do read it, its like really important) and the likes archive.org/details/pandemic-oppression. I figure something like firewalls are required, however wrongs incurred on lives in the past need mitigation as well, lest the issue but regrow in a different form.