Arikia Millikan: Rebuilding Media with Values at the Core

Arikia Millikan’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and refusal to accept the status quo. With a background that spans engineering, psychology, and journalism, she has built a career at the intersection of technical insight and ethical conviction. From covering scientific topics to building decentralized infrastructure, Arikia’s work is a direct response to extractive systems—and a blueprint for something better.

She grew up across multiple cities in the United States—Miami, Gainesville, and Ann Arbor—an experience that built her adaptability and shaped her ability to form communities. She began her studies in biomedical engineering but pivoted to psychology after recognizing how scientific language was often obfuscated, leading to public misunderstanding. During her time at university, she began working in student journalism, which quickly became her career focus.

A turning point came in 2010 after the Haiti earthquake. As a WIRED contributor brought in to manage a project on earthquake reconstruction technology, she worked at the intersection of crisis response and digital platforms. When the platform hosting that project collapsed, it mirrored the physical collapse she was documenting—and revealed deep flaws in how digital media systems preserve knowledge. That moment catalyzed a new direction: media infrastructure. She immersed herself in the field and began to build what is now her full-time work—CTRL+X.

CTRL+X uses blockchain-based licensing to help journalists maintain ownership and provenance of their work. It offers a model that protects creators, preserves historical records, and expands equitable access to journalism. “We’re going to look back in 50 years,” she said, “and it’s unclear if historians will even be able to access the content being produced today.”

Arikia is deeply critical of extractive business models that dominate the digital age. She challenges the idea that success must come from exploitation or manipulation and argues for investing in fairness, sustainability, and long-term human well-being. For her, kindness is not sentimental—it is an ethical stance against systemic harm.

One of the most formative expressions of kindness in her life has been mentorship. “I don’t know where I’d be without it,” she said. She contrasted genuine support with transactional mentorship models often seen in tech and emphasized the power of simply listening, connecting, and offering time when possible. She is mindful of the balance between giving back and building her own foundation.

Now fundraising for CTRL+X, Arikia sees values alignment as a non-negotiable. “Some people just want to make money,” she said. “But for people doing things because they believe in them, it’s important to know that just because one investor says no, it doesn’t mean your work isn’t valuable.”

“I am someone who will speak up for what I believe in—what I believe is right.”

Arikia Millikan is building infrastructure for truth, ownership, and ethical innovation. Her work shows that investing in kindness can be foundational. Keep an eye out for more interviews.