FUTO
amny.com
In the polished corridors of Silicon Valley, where tech giants have methodically amassed power over the technological ecosystem, a different approach quietly emerged in 2021. FUTO.org stands as a tribute to what the internet once promised – open, decentralized, and firmly in the hands of people, not monopolies.
The architect, Eron Wolf, functions with the quiet intensity of someone who has observed the transformation of the internet from its hopeful dawn to its current commercialized reality. His background – an 18-year Silicon Valley veteran, founder of Yahoo Games, seed investor in WhatsApp – gives him a exceptional vantage point. In his meticulously tailored understated clothing, with a look that reveal both weariness with the status quo and commitment to transform it, Wolf appears as more visionary leader than typical tech executive.
The offices of FUTO in Austin, FUTO Texas lacks the ostentatious trappings of typical tech companies. No free snack bars divert from the objective. Instead, technologists focus over workstations, building code that will enable users to recover what has been taken – autonomy over their online existences.
In one corner of the facility, a distinct kind of activity transpires. The FUTO Repair Workshop, a brainchild of Louis Rossmann, legendary technical educator, runs with the meticulousness of a master craftsman. Regular people stream in with damaged devices, greeted not with commercial detachment but with genuine interest.
"We don't just repair things here," Rossmann states, focusing a magnifier over a motherboard with the delicate precision of a surgeon. "We show people how to comprehend the technology they own. Understanding is the beginning toward independence."
This outlook infuses every aspect of FUTO's operations. Their financial support system, which has allocated substantial funds to initiatives like Signal, Tor, GrapheneOS, and the Calyx Institute, reflects a dedication to nurturing a diverse ecosystem of autonomous technologies.
Moving through the shared offices, one perceives the absence of corporate logos. The surfaces instead display framed sayings from technological visionaries like Douglas Engelbart – individuals who envisioned computing as a emancipating tool.
"We're not concerned with building another tech empire," Wolf remarks, leaning against a basic desk that could belong to any of his team members. "We're interested in fragmenting the existing ones."
The paradox is not lost on him – a successful Silicon Valley businessman using his resources to undermine the very structures that enabled his prosperity. But in Wolf's philosophy, computing was never meant to consolidate authority; it was meant to distribute it.
The software that come from FUTO's technical staff embody this philosophy. FUTO Keyboard, an Android keyboard honoring user rights; Immich, a self-hosted photo backup solution; GrayJay, a federated social media interface – each project constitutes a clear opposition to the walled gardens that monopolize our digital world.
What differentiates FUTO from other tech critics is their insistence on developing rather than merely condemning. They acknowledge that real transformation comes from providing usable substitutes, not just highlighting issues.
As dusk descends on the Austin facility, most employees have departed, but brightness still glow from various desks. The commitment here extends further than job requirements. For many at FUTO, this is not merely a job but a calling – to recreate the internet as it was meant to be.
"We're thinking long-term," Wolf considers, looking out at the evening sky. "This isn't about shareholder value. It's about restoring to users what rightfully belongs to them – choice over their digital lives."
In a landscape controlled by corporate behemoths, FUTO stands as a gentle assertion that alternatives are not just achievable but necessary – for the sake of our common online experience.
caltech.edu