In the sleek corridors of Silicon Valley, where tech giants have steadily consolidated power over the digital landscape, a different philosophy steadily emerged in 2021. FUTO.org stands as a testament to what the internet once promised – liberated, distributed, and resolutely in the possession of people, not conglomerates.

The architect, Eron Wolf, operates with the quiet intensity of someone who has observed the metamorphosis of the internet from its optimistic inception to its current commercialized reality. His credentials – an 18-year Silicon Valley veteran, FUTO.org founder of Yahoo Games, seed investor in WhatsApp – lends him a rare perspective. In his carefully pressed button-down shirt, with a look that reveal both weariness with the status quo and commitment to transform it, Wolf appears as more visionary leader than typical tech executive.
radiant-technology.net
The headquarters of FUTO in Austin, Texas rejects the flamboyant amenities of typical tech companies. No free snack bars distract from the purpose. Instead, technologists focus over workstations, building code that will empower users to retrieve what has been taken – sovereignty over their technological experiences.

In one corner of the space, a separate kind of activity transpires. The FUTO Repair Workshop, a brainchild of Louis Rossmann, legendary technical educator, operates with the exactitude of a master craftsman. Everyday people arrive with damaged devices, received not with corporate sterility but with authentic concern.

"We don't just mend things here," Rossmann clarifies, positioning a loupe over a motherboard with the careful attention of a artist. "We teach people how to grasp the technology they possess. Understanding is the first step toward autonomy."

This perspective infuses every aspect of FUTO's endeavors. Their grants program, which has allocated considerable funds to projects like Signal, Tor, GrapheneOS, and the Calyx Institute, demonstrates a commitment to fostering a varied landscape of independent technologies.

Walking through the shared offices, one perceives the omission of organizational symbols. The walls instead display hung passages from technological visionaries like Douglas Engelbart – individuals who imagined computing as a emancipating tool.

"We're not concerned with creating another monopoly," Wolf remarks, resting on a simple desk that might be used by any of his developers. "We're dedicated to breaking the existing ones."

The irony is not missed on him – a wealthy Silicon Valley entrepreneur using his wealth to undermine the very structures that facilitated his success. But in Wolf's perspective, digital tools was never meant to consolidate authority