By Zoe Kalar •
February 14, 2025
Can you guess the question I get asked the most about WeAre8?
What’s the meaning of the name? Why WeAre8?
Before I answer that, let me tell you a story about the power of a name.
I was born Sue Maynard, named after the next-door neighbor. I never liked being called Sue; I always felt it just didn’t fit.
Many people I know love their name. Not me. Hearing Sue was a reminder that people didn’t get me…and perhaps more importantly, that I didn’t feel free to be myself.
When I was 10, my mum realized it too: She told me that Zoe was better, that I was really a Zoe.
But somehow, Sue stuck. I remained Sue for decades, living with this discord in myself. Until I realized that the only thing stopping the change was me.
Remembering how great it felt when my Mum briefly called me Zoe, I changed my name to Zoe Kalar when I got married to Jas. Zoe and Kalar together mean life, light and dark, total completion. Total freedom. Finally, there was integrity between the outside and the inside. I’ve never felt more like myself than I do today.
I share this story because names carry energy and hold power. They can be invitations to embrace the learning, no matter how tough it is, to live up to our potential. They can be a reminder of who we truly are.
When we set out to name WeAre8, we wanted the name to reflect a sense of home. We wanted it to be a space where everyone could not only be themselves, but discover their biggest selves.
At its core, our name speaks to the infinite power that is inside everyone. It speaks to what is possible when everyone reclaims their freedom from big tech. It speaks to the infinite possibility that comes when all eight billion of us are truly connected.
WeAre 8 billion strong.
WeAre united.
WeAre infinitely powerful.
WeAre free from the other big tech platforms that control us.
WeAre unlocked to be the full version of ourselves.
The horizontal 8—the infinity sign—has always been a profound image for me. I used to draw it endlessly when I was a young girl, when I was called Sue. Scribbling it into my notebook was a way for me to dream about what might be possible when everyone was free to be themselves.
Years later, I heard this beautiful quote by Arundhati Roy: “Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” This is the essence of WeAre8. We’re building another world that’s waiting for you.
This is the vision for WeAre8: freedom and infinite possibilities—for each of us individually and for all of us collectively. With our unlocked economic models and AI that protects people from abuse, our tech framework can enable us to be ourselves.
My hope is that you can feel the infinite power of YOU on WeAre8.
Here’s to rocking the world together,
Zoe
What is happening?
A lot! Loads of app updates coming:
And of course, we are working on ad campaigns and ad features to bring more money from advertisers into your wallet every day!!
8Profiles I am loving
This week I wanted to celebrate some of the extraordinary communities that are building their social homes on WeAre8. They are beacons of transformation for the world and making incredible change in people’s lives. So, let’s get behind them and become a gigantic cheer squad for them all!
Swipe for more >
