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.
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.
- X Profile: @FranOnNostr
- Nostr: fran@primal.net
- Zapstore: Zapstore
Quotes to Remember
- “The biggest problem is we can’t change the curator, and that creates resentment on both sides.” — Fran
- “With centralized stores, the filters feel random, like they’re just flexing power.” — Fran
- “ZapStore uses Nostr to sign apps, so you know they’re from the developer, not some middleman.” — Fran
- “A free market of catalogs means no one can misbehave without losing trust.” — Fran
- “In the future, AI will let anyone vibe-code apps, breaking the app store monopoly.” — Fran
Resources & Links
- Zapstore Website: Discover Zapstore’s decentralized app store for Android and explore its mission to empower users. Zapstore
- Nostr Protocol: Learn about the decentralized protocol behind ZapStore’s censorship-resistant app distribution. nostr.com
- Fran’s Blog Post: Read Fran’s detailed analysis of centralized app store flaws and Nostr’s potential to fix app distribution. Zapstore/blog
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Music in this episode by More Ghost Than Man.