George Matafonov

I am the founder and executive director of Powered By Trust (PByT). 

I have a BSc majoring in mathematics. My business background is primarily in IT, which includes running my own software development company in the early 90s. 

My interest in this concept stemmed from a concern about the 200+ year experiment in trying to build a society based on the "unholy alliance of neoliberalism and postmodernism."

"Together they complete the conversion of civil society to the market society, under an overarching ideology of postmodern neoliberalism whereby civil society is reduced to the economy, the economy is reduced to the market economy and the market economy is reduced to financial markets." 

This gave rise to the PByT project.

For additional background information about this project please see my founding essay entitled: Towards a Grand Narrative for the 21st Century.

Media: Quick Bio & Introduction

George Matafonov is the founder and CEO of PByT.NET, the platform launching Project Open Democracy—a bold, global initiative with a singular aim: to realize the hope of humanity and the promise of technology—which is peace and prosperity for all.

Of Russian heritage, George was born in China during the diaspora that followed the Russian Revolution and communist takeover. His family fled once more as communism swept through China, eventually settling in Australia.

With a background in mathematics (BSc) and decades of experience in software development and IT, George brings both analytical clarity and technical depth to the urgent challenge of democratic reinvention. As the architect of PByT, he has built more than a platform—he has outlined a new model of civic participation designed for a rapidly evolving, interconnected world.

Project Open Democracy is the culmination of his long-standing concern over the breakdown of trust, truth, and social cohesion—what he identifies as the consequence of an unholy alliance between neoliberalism and postmodernism. This diagnosis shapes the entire PByT initiative and provides the philosophical foundation for its centerpiece: the Freedom Declaration for Peace.

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