The Energy Liberation Theory of Disintermediation

Greg Twemlow's article, "The Energy Liberation Theory of Disintermediation," introduces a novel framework for understanding how removing intermediaries transforms economic systems. He proposes that intermediaries trap "Value Creation Capacity" and eliminate "Transparency" through mechanisms like profit extraction and bureaucratic overhead. When disintermediation occurs, often catalysed by technologies like AI, it causes a "liberation explosion" that releases this trapped capacity and restores transparency, leading to entirely new categories of value creation. Twemlow also introduces the "Intermediary Energy Index©" as a tool to identify industries ripe for disruption, highlighting legacy management consulting and higher education as prime examples. Ultimately, the theory suggests that successful disintermediators become "meta-intermediaries," building new infrastructure that organises this liberated capacity and establishes "Transparent Trust" over traditional "Opaque Trust." Read the article.About the Author - Greg Twemlow writes and teaches at the intersection of technology, education, and human judgment. He works with educators and businesses to make AI explainable and assessable in classrooms and boardrooms — to ensure AI users show their process and own their decisions. His cognition protocol, the Context & Critique Rule™, is built on a three-step process: Evidence → Cognition → Discernment — a bridge from what’s scattered to what’s chosen. Context & Critique → Accountable AI™. © 2025 Greg Twemlow. “Context & Critique → Accountable AI” and “Context & Critique Rule” are unregistered trademarks (™).