Post AhNIOeF1KuXL1kfSgi by aral@mastodon.ar.al
(DIR) More posts by aral@mastodon.ar.al
(DIR) Post #AhNIOZVUwDkKLPL3B2 by aral@mastodon.ar.al
2024-04-29T08:26:57Z
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Mastodon becoming a US entity with a neoliberal board of directors and the goal of growth über alles is the issue here folks, not whether Eugen and company are compensated for their work. Of course they should be and well too. Or is that a privilege reserved only for the mediocre yes-people at the Googles and the Facebooks of the world?Here’s a longer thread I wrote elsewhere. (1/7)
(DIR) Post #AhNIOeF1KuXL1kfSgi by aral@mastodon.ar.al
2024-04-29T08:26:57Z
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TLDR; this is a monumental fuck-up by the EU, proving it is incapable of retaining alternatives to Silicon Valley even when it’s lucky enough to have them sprout up under its own nose. (We already know it’s incapable of producing them. Although it could, if it wanted to: https://ar.al/2019/11/29/the-future-of-internet-regulation-at-the-european-parliament/)***(Replying to a post about Eugen’s salary.) (2/7)
(DIR) Post #AhNIOfpDRp5FwIbskC by aral@mastodon.ar.al
2024-04-29T08:26:57Z
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To be fair, it’s at least half of what he’d be getting if he had a job at a well-funded tech company in the mainstream. And, more so at a Google or a Facebook.This isn’t about Eugen’s compensation. Eugen should be compensated and be able to live a comfortable life given what he does. Heck, asshats who work at Google and Facebook do. Why should people have to sacrifice to do good?No, this is about Silicon Valley influence, the wrong success criteria, and loss of control. (3/7)
(DIR) Post #AhNIOhBaO8ZW9y5GFc by aral@mastodon.ar.al
2024-04-29T08:26:57Z
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And, if the EU didn’t have its head stuck up its own arse, it would have already made sure that Mastodon could be kept in the EU and those working on it well compensated while also ensuring that the correct success criteria (hint: NOT growth at all costs but decentralisation) were set. But not with this EU Commission and its fixation with the Single Market above all else. (4/7)
(DIR) Post #AhNIOiuHzPvNUu0TZI by aral@mastodon.ar.al
2024-04-29T08:26:58Z
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They probably see Mastodon becoming a US entity and having Silicon Valley folks on the board as a sign of success when it is an abject failure of the EU, and all its costly PR initiatives (Next Generation Internet, etc.) It’s the Web story with Tim Berners-Lee and CERN all over again. And we know where that neoliberal and corporate capture left us. (5/7)
(DIR) Post #AhNIOkTm8xu8NFcKWG by aral@mastodon.ar.al
2024-04-29T08:26:58Z
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All that said, the one thing this isn’t about is how much Eugen makes. If we’re saying any old asshat engineer at Google has a right to a comfortable life but folks working on free and open source don’t, let’s not expect too many people to do the former as a full-time occupation. (6/7)
(DIR) Post #AhNIOm8vxQQBXBsiJM by aral@mastodon.ar.al
2024-04-29T08:26:58Z
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If, on the other hand, maybe we’d like more folks to contribute to the commons and maybe not even be captured by Silicon Valley how about this radical idea: Fund them so they can live (at least as well) as any mediocre yes-person at a mainstream tech company.#mastodon #fediverse #FOSS #funding #EU #NextGenerationInternet #NGI #NLNet #EUCommission #DigitalSingleMarket #commons #neoliberalism #SiliconValley #corporateCapture #TimBerbersLee #WorldWideWeb (7/7)
(DIR) Post #AhNIs53Qj0eGaIHTUm by remenca@mastodont.cat
2024-04-29T08:31:39Z
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@aral Well, I'd say that this is what the EU is designed for. To be just an assembly of client states that makes easier for the USA to take advantage from them, which is exactly what has happened.
(DIR) Post #AhNJOlI1EM8EqEgjVw by kdekooter@mastodon.social
2024-04-29T08:38:21Z
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@aral I must have missed out on some essential developments. What's this about? Mastodon becoming a US entity?? WTaF?
(DIR) Post #AhNJWuFfnFJkxCTUTA by paulcox@toot.wales
2024-04-29T08:39:48Z
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@aral yeah, the whole "you shouldn't get paid well for doing something good" e.g. people working for charities, is such an interesting societal reflex. I find it really confusing, but also notice I have some of the same initial gut reaction that I can't really explain.
(DIR) Post #AhNKgMw2cPR8TSMsXw by blackcoffeerider@social.saarland
2024-04-29T08:52:36Z
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@aralYou seem to have more information than the rest of us? What did the EU exactly do? Because Eugene was lying when he said that the German Tax office retracted the non-profit benefits "without giving a reason". They can't and won't do that! If he says otherwise he either didn't understand and challenge the reason given or he is lying - period.
(DIR) Post #AhNM039FzkwqqtUwCm by ryanprior@mastodon.social
2024-04-29T09:07:26Z
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@aral I saw posts from the Mastodon team saying unequivocally their operations are remaining in the EU and that the US entity exists only to raise funds for development of the Fediverse and Mastodon in particular. Did you read the same posts & doubt them? I'm interested in whether you have info/perspective I don't when you claim it's becoming a US entity.
(DIR) Post #AhNNjBd1PfJk8cVUjw by cweickhmann@qoto.org
2024-04-29T09:26:48Z
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@aral Very specifically, this is a German, not an EU, fuck-up. The German tax codes defines a very narrow, and very 1950ies view of what’s a charitable cause and the Federal ministry of finances has not been moving on this point at all. Notably, other charities with political intent had their previously granted status removed (check Campact for instance).There’s another big issue with this in general, and that’s an EU issue: There is no way to set up an EU-wide charitable cause entity. So you’d have to run 27 entities to get tax deductability (is this a word?) in the entire EU.While it’s sad to read this, it’s absolutely understandable that they took this step. The implications … yeah, yet another Mozilla or Wikipedia foundation with questionable priorities decoupled from the actual project.But please bash the German government and only then the EU ;-)
(DIR) Post #AhNRZHp9vELeH5id8a by aral@mastodon.ar.al
2024-04-29T10:09:55Z
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@blackcoffeerider I don’t have any more info than you do. I don’t know what they did. I know what they didn’t do.
(DIR) Post #AhNRocjMTTmJSVJvdI by aral@mastodon.ar.al
2024-04-29T10:12:40Z
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@ryanprior Where the money is coming from is what matters. An American company with developers in India is not an Indian company.
(DIR) Post #AhNSCZjjG3Qv7fugsK by blackcoffeerider@social.saarland
2024-04-29T10:17:02Z
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@aralThen I am not sure if we are even talking about the same thing? I am talking about the fact that he is trying to open a non profit in the US now after Germany retracted his orgs non profit status. In the two years having that status the entity allegedly did not hand out one(!) donation receipt? Should they have given him a pass when the construct he created does not meet the tax exemption criteria of a non profit?
(DIR) Post #AhNSKceKJOboTQDvEW by ryanprior@mastodon.social
2024-04-29T10:18:30Z
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@aral money flows are critical but that doesn't seem like a reliable model, since none of the principal staff are employees or contractors of the US org, and the US org doesn't own or hold a stake in the product. Maybe US-CERN is a relevant comparison? Owned and operated in the EU but with a US entity for tax and funding purposes?
(DIR) Post #AhNSfdP8hRgEte8gxk by aral@mastodon.ar.al
2024-04-29T10:22:14Z
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@cweickhmann It’s both. The EU could have stepped in at a moment’s notice and ensured that Mastodon was well funded and didn’t need to look elsewhere.
(DIR) Post #AhNTWVxB8Idf8THA7U by cweickhmann@qoto.org
2024-04-29T10:31:44Z
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@aralThat’s not how that works.
(DIR) Post #AhNVgEI3rJ7F9sntbs by aral@mastodon.ar.al
2024-04-29T10:55:48Z
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@cweickhmann Yes, sadly, you’re right. It’s how it should work.
(DIR) Post #AhNWPrt50i8KTk66WO by cweickhmann@qoto.org
2024-04-29T11:04:09Z
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@aral No, tbh, that’s not how that should work imho either.They way it should work is for now adding FOSS to the list of charitable causes unter §52 Abgabenordnung. Then work toward a European charitable entity (we already have the SE), say a Fundatio Europaea or (FE). The only reason we don’t have this yet, is because it was not pushed as much as the corporate SE. Once that’s there, all EU member states can extend their regulations on tax reductions for charitable causes to include FEs; and the EU could, where it’s actually collecting taxes (which are very few occasions), do so as well.
(DIR) Post #AhNWTexp0AYjYV7i2S by tchauhan@mastodon.mit.edu
2024-04-29T11:04:09Z
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@aral Is it time to quit mastodon yet ?
(DIR) Post #AhNWXEUlLzDucfEdZA by peterainbow@mstdn.social
2024-04-29T11:04:49Z
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@aral not sure I agree with that, I'm sure there are enough good engineers out here who'd be happy to takeover from them at the salary he quoted getting, we'll never be able to compete with the money people in the US who will make large bets on the basis of taking it all later as that will be their goal have no doubt about that. Will they relinquish control do you think, I suspect not and so we who have a huge input into what this place is have no say
(DIR) Post #AhNWiEy5w1v1H8CgyG by simon_lucy@mastodon.social
2024-04-29T11:07:30Z
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@aral Given the removal of the not for profit status by the German Tax authority, which may be temporary, it seems prudent to have a US entity. I don't think it's an EU problem, corporate and tax affairs are for member nations not the overall EU.It may well be a Good Thing to have a single EU corporate governance and corporate tax regulation but I doubt an open source project will be that persuasive to the general population of the benefits, if any.
(DIR) Post #AhNX0LIn7n9A8EW40G by ipaschke@mastodon.social
2024-04-29T11:10:47Z
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@aral No, this was a dispute between the German tax authority and the Mastodon gGmbH by all accounts. Please stop spreading misinformation about the EU. Baselessly blaming the EU for everything is a far right tactic.
(DIR) Post #AhNcXapYuV9rcUWE7s by Godfrey642@aus.social
2024-04-29T12:12:46Z
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@aral What's going to happen?Total shock. Is it too late already to keep Mastadon in the EU sphere? Jeez. Ḍisaster pending.
(DIR) Post #AhNh0DfeUr3U0OmzKq by aral@mastodon.ar.al
2024-04-29T13:02:45Z
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@davey_cakes @cweickhmann Yeah, CERN thought the same thing about the World Wide Web.
(DIR) Post #AhNhGRUQsxpPUvHEW0 by aral@mastodon.ar.al
2024-04-29T13:05:43Z
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@ipaschke Not. Funding. Mastodon. Properly. Was. An. EU. Fuck. Up.Not everything you don’t like is a far right tactic. I’m about as left as it gets. Which is also why I’m blocking you.
(DIR) Post #AhNhaHHWY6LZd4hIA4 by aral@mastodon.ar.al
2024-04-29T13:09:20Z
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@peterainbow We can easily compete with them at the me levels where it matters. But it requires long term thinking and an EU that doesn’t frame success through “Digital Single Market.” The amounts we’re talking about are a drop in the bucket. Instead we have folks begging for scraps from NGI, NLNet, etc., to implement “this or that feature”. This piecemeal approach is the problem.https://ar.al/2019/11/29/the-future-of-internet-regulation-at-the-european-parliament/
(DIR) Post #AhNjYY7NBHizAvFjLU by aral@mastodon.ar.al
2024-04-29T13:31:24Z
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@davey_cakes @cweickhmann *sigh* sure, you win. Have a lovely day :)
(DIR) Post #AhNkqvcscIjrFdJklk by peterainbow@mstdn.social
2024-04-29T13:45:34Z
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@aral it's pretty opaque to me who how and what is being done, which is probably my fault, but I think if more of a coop model or at least more user engagement was involved then surely we as citizens could pressure our democratic reps to do more, OBS I'm in the UK so don't actually have a democratic republic but others do and there seems to be some quite well known people in here these days? Just me musing over this btw so hopefully no offence caused, but this is stressful to me
(DIR) Post #AhNrYyd7PQrp2Aofsu by peterainbow@mstdn.social
2024-04-29T15:00:59Z
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@aral thanks for the engagement, will watch your stuff when i have the spoons
(DIR) Post #AhOHGBriZcIZOCLc6S by tallship@social.sdf.org
2024-04-29T19:48:57Z
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@aral Aral, you mention a link to an article and then don't provide it. Link please? Thanks!
(DIR) Post #AhOHRkP8UySrhBUPb6 by aral@mastodon.ar.al
2024-04-29T19:51:06Z
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@tallship Sorry if it was confusing; I copied the contents of it into the thread.
(DIR) Post #AhRnSDJHjByphDmkEq by njyo@mastodon.social
2024-05-01T12:33:52Z
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Thanks, @aral. Exactly my thoughts.The @EU_Commission needs to solve the problem upstream. Instead, one day they’ll probably then go and regulate the US company Mastodon.SMH. It’s a disgrace where European politics are headed in terms of technology. Dinosaurs.