Mastodon (fediverse)
Plenty for users Stage 1
The fediverse model spreads power across instances and protocols. The product is uneven, yet users retain meaningful choice: different communities, moderation styles, and the ability to move. That keeps it closer to stage 1—value for users is still the main story, even as some large instances professionalize.
- Since
- 2016
- Function
- Social
- VC-backed
- No
- Public
- No
News signals
More in Social
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Discord
2 Hard to leaveStrong real-time product for communities, but your social graph and server history are deeply embedded—switching means rebuilding social capital elsewhere.
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LinkedIn
3 Cashing inThe default résumé graph for many industries, increasingly monetized via feed ads, recruiter tools, and upsells—users are the inventory.
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Reddit
3 Cashing inMature platform shifting value toward advertisers, mods as unpaid labor, and product changes that prioritize engagement over quality.
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X (Twitter)
3 Cashing inAPI paywalls, algorithmic feeds, verification products, and ad load shift surplus toward the operator and advertisers—classic extraction on a still-central public square.
