Mastodon will soon be owned by a non-profit entity

At a time when Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg have proven that one person’s whims can alter an entire social network, Mastodon CEO and creator Eugen Rochko is going in the opposite direction. in a Posted today, the Mastodon team announced its intention to allow a new nonprofit to take over the company. In other words, Rochko is voluntarily handing over the reins of the service he founded almost a decade ago.

The company took some steps to form a US-based non-profit organization. and that entity will continue to exist as a “fundraising center.” However, the company as a whole will continue to have its operations headquarters abroad. “We are taking the time to select the appropriate jurisdiction and structure in Europe,” the company wrote, “we will then determine what other (subsidiary) legal structures are necessary to support operations and sustainability.” Mastodon says the restructuring will take place within the next six months.

Rochko has made his position against Musk clear. He told Musk that ““Two years ago. he also has the recent “deeply worrying”. While Mastodon hasn’t been as obvious a player in terms of raw user numbers as, say, Threads or Bluesky in the post-X social media shakeup, Mastodon could still find the more moral path forward.