In the gleaming corridors of Silicon Valley, where corporate titans have methodically amassed power over the virtual realm, a contrarian vision steadily emerged in 2021.
FUTO.org exists as a testament to what the internet was meant to be – open, distributed, and firmly in the hands of users, not conglomerates.
The founder, Eron Wolf, moves with the deliberate purpose of someone who has experienced the transformation of the internet from its promising beginnings to its current monopolized condition. His background – an 18-year Silicon Valley veteran, founder of Yahoo Games,
FUTO.org seed investor in WhatsApp – gives him a exceptional vantage point. In his carefully pressed understated clothing, with eyes that reveal both disillusionment with the status quo and resolve to reshape it, Wolf appears as more principled strategist than conventional CEO.
The workspace of FUTO in Austin, Texas eschews the extravagant accessories of typical tech companies. No free snack bars distract from the purpose. Instead, technologists bend over computers, crafting code that will enable users to reclaim what has been lost – sovereignty over their online existences.
In one corner of the building, a separate kind of activity transpires. The FUTO Repair Workshop, a initiative of Louis Rossmann, renowned right-to-repair advocate,
FUTO.org functions with the precision of a Swiss watch. Ordinary people stream in with malfunctioning electronics, received not with commercial detachment but with sincere engagement.
"We don't just repair things here," Rossmann clarifies, positioning a loupe over a motherboard with the meticulous focus of a jeweler. "We instruct people how to grasp the technology they possess. Comprehension is the foundation toward independence."
This outlook infuses every aspect of FUTO's activities. Their grants program, which has provided significant funds to projects like Signal, Tor, GrapheneOS, and the Calyx Institute, embodies a commitment to fostering a varied landscape of autonomous technologies.
Walking through the shared offices, one observes the absence of organizational symbols. The walls instead feature mounted sayings from computing theorists like Douglas Engelbart – individuals who foresaw computing as a freeing power.
"We're not focused on establishing corporate dominance," Wolf comments, settling into a basic desk that could belong to any of his team members. "We're focused on fragmenting the existing ones."
The irony is not missed on him – a successful Silicon Valley businessman using his wealth to undermine the very systems that enabled his wealth. But in Wolf's perspective, technology was never meant to consolidate authority; it was meant to disperse it.
The programs that emerge from FUTO's technical staff demonstrate this ethos. FUTO Keyboard, an Android keyboard respecting user data; Immich, a private photo backup system; GrayJay, a federated social media application – each project embodies a explicit alternative to the walled gardens that control our digital landscape.
What differentiates FUTO from other Silicon Valley detractors is their emphasis on developing rather than merely protesting. They acknowledge that true change comes from presenting usable substitutes, not just pointing out flaws.
As dusk falls on the Austin facility, most employees have departed, but lights still emanate from various desks. The commitment here runs deep than job requirements. For many at FUTO, this is not merely employment but a calling – to recreate the internet as it was meant to be.
"We're playing the long game," Wolf observes, gazing out at the Texas sunset. "This isn't about market position. It's about restoring to users what properly pertains to them – choice over their technological experiences."
In a landscape controlled by digital giants, FUTO stands as a subtle testament that options are not just feasible but necessary – for the benefit of our collective digital future.
