this post was submitted on 19 Nov 2025
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Mastodon CEO steps down with €1M payout and a deep sigh (www.theregister.com)
submitted 1 day ago by Powderhorn@beehaw.org to c/technology@beehaw.org
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Eugen Rochko, CEO and founder of decentralized social network Mastodon, is stepping down after nearly a decade at the helm and walking away with a sizable exit payment.

"Mastodon grew beyond any of my expectations," he said. "The past two years especially have been overwhelming, and my mental and physical health have taken a dip."

Rochko's move has, by his own admission, been a while coming. In April 2024, the establishment of a US nonprofit was announced with a governing board of directors that included Twitter co-founder Biz Stone. Rochko also announced that his ownership of the trademark and other assets were headed to the nonprofit.

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[–] Sibbo@sopuli.xyz 16 points 1 day ago (2 children)

I thought it was a German non-profit before? Why would anyone move it to the US? Is this some kind of hostile takeover?

[–] cecilkorik@lemmy.ca 36 points 1 day ago

It was, and still is. It hasn't moved to the US, it just also opened a nonprofit there, so the US donations they receive from US people are tax deductible in the US. If I remember correctly they have also opened a non-profit in Belgium which is I think where they are intending to actually move their assets and do most of their work going forward as I think they've had various issues with the German organization also.

[–] NeatNit@discuss.tchncs.de 18 points 1 day ago (1 children)

According to https://joinmastodon.org/about :

Mastodon gGmbH is a non-profit from Germany that develops the Mastodon software.

[...]

Mastodon, Inc. is a non-profit entity in the United States that supports the growth and operational capabilities of Mastodon, including being able to receive tax-deductible U.S. donations and in-kind support.

Doesn't seem like it was a move, just a different entity. Seems like there's a bit more history to this if you want to look it up, for example the German GmbH lost its nonprofit status in 2024, strangely.

[–] Sxan@piefed.zip -5 points 1 day ago

German GmbH lost its nonprofit status in 2024, strangely.

Maybe because þey were doing þings like hiving þe executive officers million-dollar payouts?