Can Mastodon seize the moment from Twitter?

Decoder with Nilay Patel

Vox Media Podcast Network

Technology, Business

4.3 • 3.2K Ratings

🗓️ 28 March 2023

⏱️ 76 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Today I’m talking to Mastodon CEO Eugen Rochko. Mastodon is the open-source, decentralized competitor to Twitter, and it’s where a lot of Twitter users have gone in this, our post-Elon era. The idea is that you don’t join a single platform that one company controls, you join a server, and that server can show you content from users across the entire network. If you decide you don’t like the people who run your server, or you think they’re moderating content too strictly, you can leave, and take your followers and social graph with you. Think about it like email and you’ll get it – if you don’t like Gmail, you can switch to something else, but you don’t have to quit email entirely as a concept. Now if you are like me, you hear the words open-source and decentralized, and then the word CEO, and you think – wait, why does the decentralized open standard have a CEO? The whole point is that no single person or company is in charge, right? Well, welcome to the wild world of open-source governance. It’s a riot, my friends – you’re going to hear Eugen and I say the phrase benevolent dictator for life in dead seriousness, because that’s how a lot of these projects are run. Of course, we also talk about money, and structure – Mastodon doesn’t make a lot of money, and Eugen is figuring out how to build a structure that scale past just a handful of people — but keep that in mind, actually. This tiny mostly volunteer labor of love might very well be the future of social networking, and, if you believe the hype about activitypub, might have some part in the future of the web. That’s pretty exciting, even if things are seem a little messy in the moment. Links: More than two million users have flocked to Mastodon since Elon Musk took over Twitter A beginner’s guide to Mastodon, the hot new open-source Twitter clone Elon Musk Benevolent dictator for life Mastodon Social Eugen Rochko (@[email protected]) XKCD Erase browser history: can AI reset the browser battle? Twitter alternatives for the Musk-averse We tried to run a social media site and it was awful Denial-of-service attack Transcript: https://www.theverge.com/e/23422689 Credits: Decoder is a production of The Verge and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. It was produced by Creighton DeSimone and Jackie McDermott and it was edited by Callie Wright. The Decoder music is by Breakmaster Cylinder. Our Editorial Director is Brooke Minters and our Executive Director is Eleanor Donovan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for this show comes from the Genesis GB70 Performance SUV. Every Genesis is a reminder
0:07.6	to try something bold to keep growing, keep hustling. At Genesis, they've harnessed all
0:15.0	that excitement of beginnings into their performance SUV, the GB70. It's a car built to turn
0:22.4	heads with stunning design inside and out. It's packed with intuitive technology inside,
0:28.6	like the 14.5-inch infotainment system, and fingerprint recognition. Plus, the GB70 features
0:35.2	all-wheel drive, which is bound to add a little more acceleration to your next drive. Your Genesis
0:41.1	GB70 is waiting for you. What will you begin? Learn more at Genesis.com. Genesis, keep beginning.
0:53.8	Hello and welcome to Decoder. I'm Neil Apital. I'm her in chief of the Verge and Decoder is my
0:57.9	show about big ideas and other problems. Today, I'm talking to Macedon CEO, Eugene Rajko.
1:04.4	Macedon is the open-source decentralized competitor to Twitter, and it's where a lot of Twitter
1:09.5	users have gone in this hour post-Elon era. The idea is that you don't join a single platform
1:15.9	that one company controls or one executive controls. Instead, you join a server, and that server
1:22.4	can show you content from users across the entire network, which the people in the know call
1:28.0	the Fediverse. Federated universe. Get it? If you decide you don't like the people who run your server,
1:33.6	or you think they're moderating content too strictly, you can leave. You can take your followers
1:38.6	and social graph with you to another server. Think about it like email and you'll get it. If you
1:43.3	don't like Gmail, you can switch to something else, but you don't have to quit email as a concept
1:48.6	entirely. Now, if you're like me, you heard the words open-source and decentralized, and then
1:52.4	you heard the word CEO, and you thought, wait, why does the decentralized open-standard have a CEO?
1:58.0	The whole point is that no single person or company is in charge, right? That's what I just
2:03.0	explained. Welcome to the wild world of open-source governance. It's a riot, my friends. You're
2:09.8	going to hear Eugene and I say the phrase, the nevelant dictator for life. It did seriousness,
	...

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