Mastodon’s Bold Move Towards Decentralization: A New European Non-Profit
Mastodon, the decentralized social network, is shaking up the tech world with its latest announcement. On Monday, Mastodon revealed plans to establish a new non-profit organization in Europe, a strategic move to distribute ownership and management of its ecosystem. This decision marks a clear departure from the traditional CEO-controlled models seen in giants like Elon Musk’s and Mark Zuckerberg’s companies.
While specific details are still under wraps, the core idea is that Mastodon’s current CEO and creator, Eugen Rochko, will transition some management responsibilities to the new entity while he continues to focus on product strategy. Despite these changes, Mastodon will keep operating its popular mastodon.social and mastodon.online servers, which serve as gateways for users to join its ActivityPub-based network.
- Mastodon boasts a community of 835,000 monthly active users distributed over thousands of servers.
“When founder Eugen Rochko started working on Mastodon, his focus was on creating the code and conditions for the kind of social media he envisioned. The legal setup was a means to an end, a quick fix to allow him to continue operations. From the start, he declared that Mastodon would not be for sale and would be free of the control of a single wealthy individual.”
Mastodon’s Blog Post
Last year, Mastodon established a U.S.-based non-profit with Twitter co-founder Biz Stone joining the board. However, this move resulted in losing its non-profit status in Germany. Unlike its rival Bluesky, which is reportedly raising funds at a $700 million valuation, Mastodon relies heavily on donations and sponsorships for its operations.
The upcoming Europe-based non-profit will fully own the for-profit entity Mastodon GmbH. Currently, the organization is carefully choosing the most suitable European jurisdiction for this new entity.
“We are taking the time to select the appropriate jurisdiction and structure in Europe. Then we will determine which other (subsidiary) legal structures are needed to support operations and sustainability,”
Mastodon’s Blog Post
This move aligns with recent discussions about open-source project ownership, such as concerns over WordPress community projects being under Matt Mullenweg’s control. Mastodon’s new structure aims to prevent similar concentration of decision-making power.
By embracing decentralization not just in technology but also in governance, Mastodon is setting an example for how social networks can thrive without being beholden to singular leadership. It’s a fascinating development that underscores a growing trend towards democratized digital landscapes.
