Last week I asked where the digital third place was.

Someone proposed it was Discord.

But that feels like a hollow answer to me.

The physical third places are coffee shops.

Over the last few decades, more and more coffee shops are Starbucks.

This feels the same, but is way more precarious.

A single MBA at Starbucks Corporate could make a decision that could in a snap remove the third places across the country.

To be resonant and load bearing, the third place must be open and federated, impossible for any one decider to destroy in an instant.