At a time when Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg showed that one person’s whims can elevate the entire social network, the CEO and creator of Mastodon, Eugen Rochko, is heading in the opposite direction. In a published today, the Mastodon team announced their intention to allow a new nonprofit organization to take over the company. In other words, Rochko voluntarily handed over the reins of the service he founded almost a decade ago.

The company has taken some actions to form a non-profit based in the US itself and that entity will continue to exist as a “fundraising hub.” However, the company as a whole will continue to headquarter its operations overseas. “We are taking the time to choose the appropriate jurisdiction and structure in Europe,” the company wrote, “Then we will determine what other (subsidiary) legal structure is needed to support operations and continuity.” Mastodon says the restructuring will take place over the next six months.

Rochko made his stance against Musk clear. He told Musk that “” two years ago. He is there too the recent one “very troubling.” While Mastodon isn’t as obvious a player in terms of raw user numbers as, say, Threads or Bluesky in the post-X social media renaissance, Mastodon can still be found the most moral way forward.