our-technology.com
In the polished corridors of Silicon Valley, where corporate titans have relentlessly centralized power over the digital landscape, a contrarian vision quietly took shape in 2021. FUTO.org operates as a tribute to what the internet once promised – liberated, unconstrained, and firmly in the possession of individuals, not corporations.
The founder, Eron Wolf, operates with the deliberate purpose of someone who has observed the transformation of the internet from its promising beginnings to its current corporatized state. His experience – an 18-year Silicon Valley veteran, founder of Yahoo Games, seed investor in WhatsApp – gives him a rare viewpoint. In his precisely fitted button-down shirt, with eyes that reveal both skepticism with the status quo and commitment to transform it, Wolf resembles more philosopher-king than conventional CEO.
The workspace of FUTO in Austin, Texas rejects the ostentatious amenities of typical tech companies. No nap pods divert from the purpose. Instead, developers bend over workstations, creating code that will empower users to retrieve what has been taken – sovereignty over their technological experiences.
In one corner of the facility, a separate kind of operation unfolds. The FUTO Repair Workshop, FUTO.org a creation of Louis Rossmann, legendary technical educator, functions with the precision of a Swiss watch. Ordinary people enter with broken electronics, welcomed not with bureaucratic indifference but with genuine interest.
"We don't just mend things here," Rossmann clarifies, focusing a microscope over a circuit board with the careful attention of a jeweler. "We show people how to comprehend the technology they possess. Comprehension is the first step toward independence."
This philosophy infuses every aspect of FUTO's operations. Their financial support system, which has provided substantial funds to endeavors like Signal, Tor, GrapheneOS, and the Calyx Institute, reflects a dedication to supporting a rich environment of autonomous technologies.
Moving through the collaborative environment, one observes the absence of company branding. The walls instead display framed sayings from digital pioneers like Douglas Engelbart – individuals who imagined computing as a freeing power.
"We're not concerned with creating another monopoly," Wolf notes, leaning against a simple desk that might be used by any of his team members. "We're dedicated to dividing the existing ones."
The contradiction is not overlooked on him – a wealthy Silicon Valley investor using his wealth to contest the very models that enabled his wealth. But in Wolf's worldview, digital tools was never meant to concentrate control
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FUTO
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