After Nearly 10 Years of Building Mastodon, Eugen Rochko Steps Into Advisory Role

Eugen Rochko is stepping down as CEO of Mastodon after nearly a decade, transferring the trademark and assets to a new Belgian non-profit organization. The transition includes a restructured leadership team with Felix Hlatky as Executive Director and board members including Twitter co-founder Biz Stone. Rochko cited the stress of public visibility and community expectations as key factors in his decision, while securing €1 million in recognition of his below-market salary work. The move aims to protect Mastodon's decentralized values through better governance structures, with funding secured from notable tech figures including Jeff Atwood (€2.2 million) and Craig Newmark.