Mastodon’s founder, Eugen Rochko, is stepping down as CEO as the open source, decentralized social network completes its move to a non-profit structure announced earlier this year. It’s the platform’s most significant leadership change to date, designed to put Mastodon on a more durable footing and reduce reliance on a single leader.
The organization will now be governed by a board of directors that includes Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, Karien Bezuidenhout, Esra’a Al Shafei, Mastodon Community Director Hannah Aubry (who will be stepping down), and Felix Hlatky, who becomes Executive Director. The new setup is meant to help Mastodon grow its product, business, and mission while safeguarding its independence.
Rochko, who has spent the past decade building Mastodon, will remain involved as an advisor. He has also received a one-time payment of €1 million in recognition that he took below-market pay for years while developing the project. Other leadership roles include Renaud Chaput as Technical Director, Andy Piper as Head of Communications, and Philip Schröpel as Strategy & Product Advisor. Mastodon currently employs 10 people full-time.
Explaining his decision, Rochko said Mastodon had outgrown what one person could manage and acknowledged that burnout played a role. He described how the project had become inseparable from his identity, leading him to reassess work-life balance. Stepping back, he said, allows others to share responsibility while he regains equilibrium — a counterpoint to the grind-at-all-costs mentality that has resurfaced across the tech industry.
The non-profit transition opens new funding and partnership opportunities, particularly in Europe, according to Executive Director Hlatky. Mastodon has already established a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) non-profit that currently owns the trademark and other assets. The organization is working to set up a Belgian AISBL to replace its former German entity, which lost non-profit status last year. Once formed, the Belgian non-profit will become Mastodon’s primary home.
To support the shift, Mastodon has raised funds from Stack Exchange founder Jeff Atwood and the Atwood family (€2.2 million), Biz Stone, alternative app marketplace AltStore (€260,000), the Global Chinese Community of Universal Digital Commons (€65,000), and Craigslist founder Craig Newmark. Hlatky, who helped establish Mastodon’s German non-profit and advised the project pro bono, said he grew disenchanted with the venture capital model, arguing it works for outliers but not for most organizations. In his new role, he plans to deepen engagement with industry stakeholders and the media, and sees room for more participation from politicians, political parties, and journalists.
On the sustainability front, Mastodon will continue building revenue through services like hosting and moderation, while the leadership team prioritizes trust and safety, technical infrastructure, and product improvements. One area Mastodon will not pursue for now is native interoperability with other decentralized social protocols. The platform is doubling down on ActivityPub rather than creating official bridges to Bluesky’s AT Protocol or nostr, leaving cross-protocol connectivity to third-party efforts such as Bridgy Fed and Bounce.
Rochko believes the restructure helps maintain Mastodon’s identity as “billionaire-proof” social media — a theme that resonates with users wary of platforms steered by the agendas of ultra-wealthy owners. Mastodon reports roughly 10 million registered users and fewer than 1 million monthly actives today. Activity surged after the 2022 acquisition of Twitter, when monthly active users jumped from about 200,000 to approximately 2 million. The long-term bet is that demand for independent, decentralized, and community-driven networking will continue to grow.
With a formal governance model, diversified leadership, and non-profit footing, Mastodon aims to secure its long-term future while staying true to its open, federated roots.
