Established industries that have existed for decades or even centuries are often steeped in time-honored traditions. While this can undoubtedly be beneficial at times, with numerous positive attributes, it can also hinder those industries from evolving naturally and fluidly in line with the times.
Instead, it often takes an outsider with a unique perspective to truly change things up in the industry, and this is usually not the kind of change that those within the industry are exceptionally comfortable with.
Take, for example, the slow and often laborious embracing of streaming content in Hollywood and beyond. When Ted Sarandos dared dream of growing Netflix beyond its rental-by-mail origins into a fully-fledged online streaming platform with original content, the rest of Hollywood deemed his efforts doomed, if not outright insane. And yet, his efforts were ultimately vindicated.
A decade later, not only would Netflix become one of the largest and most powerful studios and distributors in the business, but dozens of other similar streaming platforms would also emerge, with monumental studios such as Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. following a similar route.
In this way, while Owen Morton’s approach to proprietary trading through FunderPro might seem unorthodox and unconventional to many within the industry, his work already demonstrates how desperately the industry needs this change. Like Sarandos’ streaming model, Morton’s proprietary trading firm model disrupts the traditional sector by prioritizing trader empowerment through daily payouts, automation, and transparency, fundamentally shifting the industry’s structure from control-based to collaboration-driven.
From Institutional Control to Individual Autonomy
It’s crucial to note that Morton’s work is less disruptive than conducive to users and traders. He isn’t interested in upending the status quo to make a name for himself but rather in improving the quality of service that traders can get with user-centric designs in finance.
For decades, prop firms have maintained a consistent approach: strict payout schedules, complex bureaucracy, and a culture that subtly relies on trader dependence. Morton disrupted this approach with a model focused on daily payouts, easy scalability, and trader independence.
This is more than just a minor improvement; it’s a fundamental change. Morton’s approach is rooted in simplicity. The model removes obstacles that traders have accepted as unavoidable; no more waiting weeks for capital release or confusing conditions hidden in the fine print. Once performance is demonstrated, it is rewarded. This change transforms the firm from a gatekeeper into an enabler.
The Rise of Real-Time Incentives
The implications go beyond just speed. Morton’s model changes trust dynamics by embedding automation and transparency into the process. Traders no longer work under suspicion; they operate within a system that verifies results in real time. This trust isn’t based on feelings; it’s built into the system. It may be hard to accept, but an industry that used to rely on control now has to adjust to an era based on confidence.
These changes put users in power, rather than vice versa. Such daily payouts demonstrate a paradigm shift in how trust and performance are measured in trading, offering real-time validation over delayed gatekeeping.
Culture Over Code
To this end, Owen Morton’s work redefines the industry in line with a larger cultural shift towards openness, speed, and fairness, through Owen.com. Adopting this mentality is more transformative than any single piece of technology, as traders are not just switching firms but adopting a new ethos.
If an industry remains stagnant and calcified by tradition, it is doomed to extinction. Time pushes forward, regardless of what a given business or industry is doing to attempt to prevent it. As such, by embracing these changes wholeheartedly and helping the sector step out of its established comfort zone, Owen Morton is working to save proprietary trading.
