Mastodon CEO Steps Down as the Social Network Restructures

Mastodon creator Eugen Rochko is stepping down as CEO as part of the platform’s transition to a nonprofit structure — a significant shift announced earlier this year. The restructuring marks Mastodon’s most considerable leadership overhaul yet, aiming to secure the platform’s long-term stability and independence.

As part of this transition, Mastodon will now be governed by a board of directors that includes Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, Karien Bezuidenhout, Esra’a Al Shafei, community director Hannah Aubry (who will soon depart), and Felix Hlatky, who will take over as executive director.

This shift gives Mastodon a broader foundation to grow its mission, product, and operations without relying on a single person. It also allows Rochko, who has spent the last decade working almost nonstop on Mastodon, to step back. He will remain involved as an adviser and has received a one-time €1 million compensation package after years of taking significantly below-market pay.

Additional leadership roles now include Renaud Chaput as technical director, Andy Piper as Head of Communications, and Philip Schröpel as Strategy & Product Advisor. Mastodon currently employs 10 full-time team members.

Burnout Played a Role, Says Rochko

Rochko shared that the decision to step down was driven not only by Mastodon’s scale but also by burnout.

“Mastodon has become synonymous with my identity. I can’t look at anything related to social media without thinking about work,” he told TechCrunch. “It’s led to a lot of stress, and ultimately, burnout.”

Stepping back, he said, will allow him to regain balance — a message he believes more founders should take seriously, especially in an era when Silicon Valley culture celebrates extreme work schedules, even embracing systems like China’s “996” routine.

Mastodon’s Nonprofit Future

Hlatky, the new executive director, says the nonprofit transition opens new funding opportunities — especially in Europe.

Mastodon has already become a nonprofit in the U.S. and is now working to establish a Belgian nonprofit entity (an AISBL), which will eventually replace the German organisation that lost its nonprofit status last year. In the meantime, the U.S. 501(c)(3) entity will hold the trademark and other core assets.

To support the transition, Mastodon raised funding from several notable backers:

• Jeff Atwood and the Atwood family (€2.2 million)
• Biz Stone
• AltStore (€260,000)
• Global Chinese Community of Universal Digital Commons (€65,000)
• Craig Newmark (Craigslist founder)

Hlatky, who has deep experience in tech and finance, previously helped Mastodon secure its German nonprofit status. He said he became disillusioned with the traditional venture-backed model and sees more meaning in Mastodon’s mission-driven approach.

In the future, he will handle industry outreach, policy conversations, and strategic planning, while also helping scale Mastodon’s new hosting and moderation services. Other leaders will focus on technical infrastructure, trust and safety, and product improvements.

One area Mastodon will not prioritise: native interoperability with other decentralised networks, such as Bluesky (AT Protocol) or Nostr. Instead, Mastodon will rely on third-party bridges like Bridgy Fed and Bounce.

A Vision for “Billionaire-Proof” Social Media

Rochko believes that Mastodon’s nonprofit structure maintains its status as a “billionaire-proof” platform — a philosophy shared by Bluesky, which has grown to 40 million registered users. Mastodon currently has around 10 million total signups, with just under 1 million monthly active users.

Before Elon Musk bought Twitter in 2022, Mastodon had roughly 200,000 monthly active users. After the acquisition, usage surged to 2 million.

For Rochko, this proves that people want social platforms not controlled by ultra-wealthy owners.

“Threads, Instagram, Facebook — they belong to a billionaire. X belongs to a billionaire. These platforms are increasingly being used to shape public opinion and politics,” he said. “Mastodon is one of the few — if not the only — social platforms that isn’t subject to that kind of control.”