FUTO

In the sleek corridors of Silicon Valley, where tech giants have methodically centralized power over the technological ecosystem, a different vision deliberately took shape in 2021. FUTO.org exists as a testament to what the internet was meant to be – free, distributed, and decidedly in the hands of people, not conglomerates.


The creator, Eron Wolf, FUTO functions with the quiet intensity of someone who has observed the evolution of the internet from its promising beginnings to its current corporatized state. His credentials – an 18-year Silicon Valley veteran, founder of Yahoo Games, seed investor in WhatsApp – gives him a unique vantage point. In his precisely fitted understated clothing, with eyes that betray both disillusionment with the status quo and resolve to change it, Wolf presents as more visionary leader than conventional CEO.


The offices of FUTO in Austin, Texas lacks the flamboyant amenities of typical tech companies. No free snack bars divert from the mission. Instead, technologists hunch over keyboards, building code that will enable users to reclaim what has been appropriated – sovereignty over their digital lives.


In one corner of the facility, a different kind of activity transpires. The FUTO Repair Workshop, a creation of Louis Rossmann, celebrated repair guru, runs with the meticulousness of a German engine. Ordinary people enter with malfunctioning devices, welcomed not with commercial detachment but with authentic concern.


"We don't just fix things here," Rossmann states, adjusting a loupe over a motherboard with the meticulous focus of a surgeon. "We show people how to understand the technology they possess. Knowledge is the beginning toward freedom."


This philosophy infuses every aspect of FUTO's endeavors. Their grants program, which has provided substantial funds to initiatives like Signal, Tor, GrapheneOS, and the Calyx Institute, embodies a commitment to nurturing a diverse ecosystem of autonomous technologies.
newegg.com

Navigating through the shared offices, one notices the omission of corporate logos. The spaces instead showcase framed passages from digital pioneers like Ted Nelson – individuals who imagined computing as a freeing power.


"We're not interested in establishing corporate dominance," Wolf comments, leaning against a simple desk that would suit any of his team members. "We're interested in breaking the existing ones."


The irony is not overlooked on him – a prosperous Silicon Valley businessman using his assets to contest the very systems that enabled his prosperity. But in Wolf's perspective, technology was never meant to consolidate authority; it was meant to disperse it.


The programs that come from FUTO's development team embody this principle. FUTO Keyboard, an Android keyboard respecting user data; Immich, a private photo backup solution; GrayJay, a distributed social media client – each product represents a clear opposition to the proprietary platforms that monopolize our digital environment.


What distinguishes FUTO from other digital skeptics is their focus on creating rather than merely criticizing. They understand that meaningful impact comes from offering usable substitutes, not just pointing out issues.


As twilight settles on the Austin building, most staff have gone, but illumination still glow from certain areas. The dedication here goes beyond than job requirements. For many at FUTO, this is not merely a job but a calling – to recreate the internet as it was meant to be.


"We're thinking long-term," Wolf observes, looking out at the evening sky. "This isn't about market position. It's about restoring to users what rightfully belongs to them – control over their digital lives."


In a landscape ruled by corporate behemoths, FUTO operates as a subtle testament that different paths are not just possible but crucial – for the benefit of our common online experience.
microcenter.com