Mastodon Shifts to Nonprofit to Embrace Decentralization
Berlin, Monday, 13 January 2025.
Mastodon announces its transition to a nonprofit entity in Europe, reinforcing its commitment to open-source principles and community-driven governance, distancing the platform from single-person control.
Strategic Transformation
In a significant move announced on January 12, 2025, Mastodon is set to transfer ownership of its key ecosystem components to a new European nonprofit organization [1][3]. This transition marks a deliberate shift away from single-person control, currently held by CEO and founder Eugen Rochko, who established the platform in 2016 [2]. The platform, which serves approximately 835,000 monthly active users across thousands of servers [1], aims to ensure that the social network ‘should not be owned or controlled by a single individual’ [2].
Organizational Structure and Timeline
The transition is planned to unfold over the next six months [3], with the new nonprofit entity set to wholly own Mastodon GmbH, the platform’s operational arm [1]. This restructuring follows a complex period where Mastodon lost its nonprofit status in Germany last year [1]. The organization has set an ambitious financial target, with plans to grow its annual operating budget to €5 million in 2025 to support team expansion and community safety initiatives [3].
Leadership and Future Focus
Under the new structure, Rochko will shift his focus to product strategy [2], while the organization establishes new governance frameworks [1]. The platform’s core mission remains unchanged: creating tools and digital spaces for authentic, constructive online communities free from advertising, data exploitation, and manipulative algorithms [2]. Technical priorities include enhancing usability, discoverability, and trust & safety, with development of a privacy-respecting search tool called Fediscovery [3].
Impact on Users and Daily Operations
In the immediate term, users will experience minimal disruption, with Mastodon continuing to host its primary servers - mastodon.social and mastodon.online [2][4]. While routine code development and bug fixes continue, the platform has indicated that significant changes are in development [4]. This transition comes at a notable time in social media evolution, particularly as other platforms face scrutiny over content moderation and corporate control [2].