Gregory's Server
I don't have a very high opinion of myself as a CEO, and I always imagine where Mastodon might've been today if I wasn't a massive introvert, but I'd like to think there were redeeming qualities about my run, as well.
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120 comments
@Gargron your leadership has made this place what it is and I hope that the incoming CEO will share the same values and objectives you’ve shared with us. While I know it can only grow if everyone is in the right position, I worry it’ll become a Mozilla situation where too much overhead is put in and the money becomes a larger priority.  @Gargron Thanks a lot, Eugen, for taking this decision (because I think the whole project will grow thanks to that) and for everything you did during past years. Your work and dedication really helped to build what have been somehow a dream for most: a social network entitled with strong human values. Good luck with the rest of your journey!  @Gargron I hope you are successful. As an introvert (and autistic) I find the business side of business hard, and I can’t imagine running something as valuable as Mastodon has become. Well played to get it to this point and to know when to pass it on.  @Gargron Thank you for all the hard work you put into Mastodon, it is very much appreciated by hundreds of thousands. I wish you and your wife all peace and happiness. @Gargron I won't be here today without your work. I , and hope others, will always think of you as the guy who created one of the many fediverse app and was able to stay humble and human. So thank you and I hope you will still hang around . @Gargron Thank you for everything you've done. I'm sure it wasn't an easy choice, but what you've done is deeply thoughtful and wise.  @Gargron You've done us a great service in what you've built and that won't be forgotten. We've seen what happens when engineers burn out, and we've seen what happens when they try to stay in charge too long, and I think you're making a good choice for yourself, and in allowing Mastodon to fly free and develop further.  @Gargron This all seems like a win for everyone. Thanks for your work and continued efforts to help Mastodon live up to its ideals.  @Gargron this seems like a great move, and good time. We become less effective the further we're stretched, especially in directions that are not our strengths. I've been through this, I wish I had learned/admitted it earlier. @Gargron thank you for everything you have done so far and happy that you still will play an important role. And good that you also prioritize balance and health, which is of vital importance for everyone.  @Gargron If all the world's tech CEOs were more like you, the world would be a better place! Hope you find a new CEO who is still a lot like you  @Gargron Thank you very much for creating something that will last for a very long time. A way for people to interact without any party owning anything. Very much appreciated. Please enjoy your new role and have faith in your team, a great team is more than the sum of its parts.   Thanks for what you've done. . . when I landed here two years ago I really had no idea what it was all about. . . . . ! !! :mastodance:  @Gargron It takes fortitude & self-awareness to step aside as founder & bring in someone else to take on the business leadership role. Its a hard step. Congratulations on taking it. Piece of advice. Write down the values you want the new company to align to. Gain feedback from those you trust on them. Use them in the hiring interview process to probe deeply for alignment. Then think about what happens when you have a conflict & discover you are not values aligned after all. @Gargron thank you for everything you have made possible so far. There should be a Nobel prize for this. 🎖️  @Gargron This was the right decision. You cannot please everyone (I did not agree with all your decisions) and everything that evolves around ethics must have took a toll on you. Better to let the new governance reflect on the hard ethical questions and handle the critics and focus on the topics that you find more interesting (more code oriented I believe). Anyway, all that to say, thank you for your work and good luck.  @Gargron Thank you for giving us this. And the very best of luck for the future. @Gargron I want to say thank you for creating an alternative where I get my news and less-toxic banter. It’s an amazing platform and totally understandable your decision. You a Giga-Chad.  @Gargron kudos to you for making this decision, I’m sure it wasn’t an easy one but it’s certainly the right path going forward!  @Gargron thank you for doing this and for your vision. I originally joined mastodon back in 2017 and to see it now is like a miracle. 🙏🙏🙏🙏   @Gargron Thank you for creating Mastodon and keeping it afloat and in active development over all these years. I sincerely hope your organization can find a CEO who shares your values and doesn't do a Mozilla on Mastodon - and that this decision creates room for the software to explore new features for the Fediverse.  @Gargron Dude, you did an amazing job. You’ve taken so much on your shoulders, and made one of the most bustling decentralized social media projects ever. Congrats on your new role, and I know you’ll rock at it. @Gargron Eugen, I appreciate you and all the hard work you have done to make Mastodon a success, and look forward to your contributions in your new role. Mastodon should never have competitors, only collaborators, and I hope it will always stay that way.  @Gargron Thanks for being a good steward. I bought a Mastodon plushie in, uh, celebration. @Gargron So wise. Thanks for the incredible job you did. You made Mastodon take root. I hope that with this decision you will find some zenitude. @Gargron I migrated here from X when Musk took over, ie essentially for a negative reason, but I've found this place to be a much pleasanter environment, as well as having a superior ownership model. What I didn't expect was to discover that the CEO could write such a candid, self-aware and balanced account of why he was moving on. So, thanks for all you have done, good luck in your new role, and may Mastodon continue to go from strength to strength.  It's a truly noble thing you do, here. We don't often get to use that word but it's the only one which works. @Gargron Thanks for your hard work, and for what you have done for all of us. You have built something amazing here. @Gargron Thank you for creating a sustainable and thoughtful product and letting it grow in a sustainable and thoughtful manner. Mastodon is a rare work of digital artistry. @Gargron Thank you for the work you have done, shepherding Mastodon to where it is now. @gargron actually, many of this CEOs could use some more thinking about oneself, and maybe some more self-criticism ... I think you're doing the right thing. And I think that you're not one of those people feeling like the masters of the universe helped a lot. The most catastrophal thing with #musk #zuckerberg and co is their really INSANE hubris ....  @Gargron FWIW, I think you did a good job in that role. It’s a thankless role as you become the punching bag - but you kept the train on the tracks. So thank you. @GossiTheDog @Gargron +1, I think that every potential leader is complex and has pros and cons, strengths and weaknesses. I think you had many strengths and pros, and that they helped get Mastodon and the fediverse where it is today. Thank you.  @Gargron Hope you find the right person to replace you. Driven for sure but with their heart in the right place  @Gargron I've been here full time since 2022, and I'm pretty happy with it and where it's going. Thanks for your huge contribution, I'm optimistic it will turn out well.  @Gargron I think you do yourself a massive disservice. Look what storms Mastodon weathered, look who the ‘opposition’ is, and look where the money sits. Almost every C-suite job is entirely thankless, and I say this from the CISO benches, you’ve been great in the role. A steady hand in uncertain times. People who want to be execs make the worst execs. The unlikely ones make it through the other side still human. So thank you for all you’ve done, and we’re just getting started. Redeeming qualities... Leadership: You've changed the social media playing field for the better. With the personal growth, you're ready to focus on your passion and core strengths to lead further development of Mastodon products. Wise to pass the CEO baton to someone who can manage Mastodon's business size and growth bumps. Big 🙌🏼 to you! @Gargron From one introvert to another: The world could use a few more introverts in positions of leadership, but not at the risk of your health or happiness. Thank you for what you’ve built and I am glad you are trying to find a more sustainable way to continue the work.  @Gargron You know, in an age where every CEO is so full of themselves, especially when they own a social network, you were the exception to the rule. If you think of what made Mastodon special, many things may derive from the way you are. You can always do things better with the knowledge of hindsight, but how many people would've been able to do as well as you?  @Gargron Don't be hard on yourself. You've built something remarkable. And in my experience, the CEOs who do have a high opinion of themselves as CEOs are generally the worst CEOs 🤣  @Gargron Thank you for not being a control freak. I hope the transition goes smoothly and you get some space to breathe and focus on the things you want to focus on. @Gargron I'm not a big fan of CEOs in general, but listen. This thing what y'all are doing with Mastodon, is what the internet really needs right now. Thanks for that! @Gargron not everyone is right for a CEO role - far fewer realise it or act on it. I know someone who took the decision to hire a CEO for the company he created. Said it was the Best and hardest decision. Don't think he's here, but could see about an introduction or conversation if helpful. @Gargron "I don't have a very high opinion of myself as a CEO" Honestly this makes you better than 99% of CEOs but stepping aside and forming the entity was absolutely a good move and I hope it gives you a much-needed break.  @Gargron The best leaders are those who don‘t want to be. Thanks for building an alternative to US behemoths!   @Gargron Thanks for what you've done Gargon, hope you find someone good and get to do more programming and stuff yourself.  @Gargron Eugen, I feel all of this in my own professional sphere. Maybe us introverts always feel like we aren’t the extroverted dynamos. And it’s very draining work. I’m likely stepping down soon to soon-ish from some things too. Thank you for all your work! You’re handing over a very special creation.  @Gargron I believe it is very much what you saw as a weakness which was the redeeming factor. Only history will tell whether an extrovert type is better in a capitalistic system that is designed to push all their wrong buttons. I hope the new CEO has half as much self-awareness as you do. And congrats on an amazing run, you certainly gave me a space when I left Twitter in 2022, a segway into the Fediverse. @Gargron Being an introvert is probably why your efforts were succesful - a platform like Mastodon does wonder for introverts, so thank you :) You wanted to do something for the greater good and you did, and will continue to do so - don't be a stranger! ~A fellow introvert 😻  @Gargron Don't sell yourself short. You've done an amazing job. I don't think I'm the only one that thinks a lot of what made Mastodon so interesting was that there was this cool guy just working on his pet project at the head. It was a refreshing change of pace for those of seeking refuge from the other places. Thanks for all your hard work and hope you can recapture the part of it that holds your interest. Looking forward to whatever you come up with.  @Gargron this really hits home, totally relatable 😬 glad that's also from your shoulder right 👏 good move  @Gargron Don't undersell yourself! Regardless, I can fully understand your motivation behind this decision and respect and support it.   @Gargron I know how you feel. You’re doing the right thing, and you have created something immensely valuable!   @Gargron It's hard to give up the reins, but often it's necessary for a passion startup to become a sustainable operation. I'm hopeful for Mastodon's future and grateful for your willingness to take this step. Thank you!  @Gargron You are the best CEO, I can imagine. The dedication to this idea, that came to my ears in 2017, the sparkle you created, that we all can create a new social web together, the trust you built over all this years by not being an asshole (at least I never heard that) and now the person that can let go. It’s like a Disney movie without the drama. And then you created a Plushtodon, that’s just there for hugging. It’s so good. Thank you. And let’s go the next steps! 💜  |
Overall, it's an opportunity for me to regain some work-life balance, and for Mastodon as an organization to unlock its full potential and avoid some ego- and trademark-related pitfalls that other large open-source projects have recently experienced.