Revolutionizing the app store

In this Trust Revolution episode, Shawn Yeager and Fran, the Buenos Aires-based creator of Zapstore, explore the chokehold of centralized app stores. Fran details how Apple and Google’s control stifles innovation and erodes trust, then unveils Zapstore, a Nostr-powered, decentralized solution with cryptographic security and social trust layers. This 65-minute conversation spans the frustrations of arbitrary curation to the promise of AI-driven “vibe-coded” apps, showing how decentralized systems can reclaim power for users and developers.

The biggest problem is we can't change the curator, and that creates resentment on both sides.

— Fran

Timestamps

  • 00:01 Introduction: Full-stack developer from Buenos Aires
  • 04:30 The app store problem: Arbitrary gatekeeping
  • 09:45 Why F-Droid and Obtainium aren't enough
  • 15:17 ZapStore genesis: Nostr-native app distribution
  • 21:30 Cryptographic verification vs trust hierarchies
  • 27:45 Web of Trust for app curation
  • 33:20 Sovereign Engineering cohort in Madeira
  • 39:15 Social layer security: Your follows as curators
  • 45:41 Vibe coding and AI-generated apps
  • 52:10 Regulatory battles: DMA and sideloading
  • 58:30 The unchangeable curator problem
  • 1:04:45 Empowering users and developers

Resources

About Fran

Fran is a full-stack software engineer with nearly two decades of experience, from Java in the 2000s to modern mobile frameworks. Based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he's the creator of Zapstore, a decentralized app store launched in May 2024 on the Nostr protocol. Driven by frustration with centralized app stores' control, Fran's work empowers users and developers with secure, censorship-resistant software distribution. A participant in the first Sovereign Engineering cohort in Madeira, he's a vocal advocate for privacy and autonomy, blending technical expertise with a vision for a freer digital ecosystem.

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