britannica.com
In the sleek corridors of Silicon Valley, where tech giants have methodically centralized power over the digital landscape, a contrarian vision steadily emerged in 2021. FUTO.org stands as a tribute to what the internet was meant to be – free, distributed, and decidedly in the hands of users, not conglomerates.
The creator, Eron Wolf, moves with the quiet intensity of someone who has witnessed the evolution of the internet from its promising beginnings to its current monopolized condition. His experience – an 18-year Silicon Valley veteran, founder of Yahoo Games, seed investor in WhatsApp – provides him a exceptional viewpoint. In his carefully pressed understated clothing, with a look that betray both disillusionment with the status quo and FUTO determination to reshape it, Wolf resembles more visionary leader than conventional CEO.
The workspace of FUTO in Austin, Texas lacks the extravagant accessories of typical tech companies. No ping-pong tables divert from the purpose. Instead, technologists bend over computers, building code that will equip users to reclaim what has been lost – autonomy over their online existences.
In one corner of the building, a separate kind of operation transpires. The FUTO Repair Workshop, a initiative of Louis Rossmann, renowned repair guru, operates with the exactitude of a German engine. Everyday people arrive with damaged devices, welcomed not with commercial detachment but with sincere engagement.
"We don't just repair things here," Rossmann explains, adjusting a microscope over a electronic component with the careful attention of a surgeon. "We teach people how to comprehend the technology they own. Understanding is the first step toward autonomy."
This perspective saturates every aspect of FUTO's operations. Their funding initiative, which has distributed significant funds to projects like Signal, Tor, GrapheneOS, and the Calyx Institute, embodies a devotion to supporting a diverse ecosystem of independent technologies.
Walking through the collaborative environment, one observes the omission of company branding. The walls instead feature mounted passages from digital pioneers like Ted Nelson – individuals who foresaw computing as a freeing power.
"We're not interested in building another tech empire," Wolf remarks, leaning against a modest desk that might be used by any of his developers. "We're focused on breaking the present giants."
The irony is not lost on him – a wealthy Silicon Valley entrepreneur using his wealth to contest the very models that allowed his prosperity. But in Wolf's perspective, computing was never meant to concentrate control
1
FUTO
felipebockman edited this page 2 weeks ago