Mastodon’s creator, Eugen Rochko, is stepping down as CEO of the open source, decentralized social network and X rival, as part of the organization’s transition to a non-profit structure, announced at the beginning of the year. The change is Mastodon’s most significant leadership overhaul to date, and one designed to ensure Mastodon’s longevity.
As part of the organization’s restructuring, Mastodon will be governed by a board of directors, which today 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 will be taking the role of Executive Director.
With the revamp, Mastodon has the potential to expand its business, product, and mission, without being dependent on a single person’s leadership. It will also give Rochko a break, as he’s been singularly focused on Mastodon for the past ten years.
Going forward, Rochko will continue contributing to Mastodon as an advisor. Rochko has also been compensated with a one-time payment of €1 million, given that he took less than a fair market salary over the years while building Mastodon.
Other members of the new leadership team include Renaud Chaput as Technical Director, Andy Piper as Head of Communications, and Philip Schröpel as Strategy & Product Advisor. In total, Mastodon has 10 full-time employees.
CEO says burnout was a factor in his decision
Image Credits: Bryce Durbin / TechCrunch Image Credits:Bryce Durbin / TechCrunch
Rochko said he knew it was time to step aside as Mastodon had grown to be bigger than he could manage alone, and because he was also facing burnout.
“[Mastodon has] become kind of synonymous with my identity. I can’t look somewhere and see something about social media without thinking about how it affects my work,” Rochko explained in an interview with TechCrunch. “I want it to succeed. And it’s led to a lot of stress, and obviously, it ultimately led to burnout,” he continued.
“I think that taking a step back, realizing this isn’t just mine anymore — now other people are involved, other people are responsible for this — is going to allow me to restore some balance in my life.”
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