While Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have shown that the whims of one person can upend an entire social network, Mastodon CEO and creator Evgeny Rochko is moving in the opposite direction. In a blog post published today, the Mastodon team announced their intention to allow a new non-profit organization to take over the company. In other words, Rochko is voluntarily handing over the reins of the service he founded almost a decade ago.
A year ago, the company took some steps towards establishing a non-profit organization in the United States, and this structure will continue to exist as a “fundraising center.” However, the company as a whole will continue to manage its operations abroad. “We are taking time to select the appropriate jurisdiction and structure in Europe,” the company writes, “We will then determine what other (subsidiary) legal structures are necessary to support operations and sustainability. Mastodon says the restructuring will take place over the next six months.
Rochko has made his position against Musk clear. Two years ago, he told Musk to “get out of the internet”. He also called the recent changes to meta-moderation “deeply disturbing.” Although Mastodon hasn’t been as obvious a player in terms of user numbers as, say, Threads or Bluesky in the post-X restructuring of social media, Mastodon may still find the most moral path forward.
