Just a reminder that 0% of fediverse admins took on debt to support their communities.

[email protected]

VC funding isn’t debt.

jon ⚝

Emelia 👸🏻

@yala @vmstan @stefan yeah, which is why I replied with how much of my savings I'd spent to be able to do the work I'm doing. Just gotta hope that one day it'll be valuable to people in an economic way.

NIGHTEͶ

@anildash @stefan interesting!

So would funding from VC be considered “worse”/more constraining than debts, since they expect a way higher return?

Stefan Bohacek

@anildash Fair enough. I'm definitely simplifying here to make a point (which I think still stands), but I appreciate the explanation!

Stefan Bohacek

@vmstan Yes, mainly just commenting on the results of the poll, which may very well be out of date at this point, to be fair.

But yes, sustainability is a big challenge, for sure.

We've already seen the cycle of taking VC money, enshittifying, and in many cases folding. I think we're ready to try something different.

Will it work? I hope so!

Stefan Bohacek

@Pieisawesome Yes, true, fair enough.

Still, looking from afar, as a non-entrepreneur, seeing startups raising funds only to enshittify and/or fold as they attempt to pay them back, with interests, I don't know if the difference is meaningful enough.

Anil Dash

@NIGHTEN @stefan it depends what you’re designing for, but yes in terms of the pressure on an org to deliver, it’s much higher with VC

Anil Dash

@aslakr @stefan depends what you’re aiming for, but in terms of economic pressure, yes.

[email protected]

You also have to look at who they raised from.

There are specific VC firms that focus on sustainable, long term growth over chasing massive profits for short term gains.

I haven’t checked who blue sky raised from, but not every VC is the same

Stefan Bohacek

@Pieisawesome Well, --

"Bluesky also raised $15 million in a funding round led by the crypto investor Blockchain Capital, but says it does not plan to use blockchains, crypotcurrency, or “hyperfinancialize the social experience” with tokens, crypto trading, or NFTs."

Bluesky is working on a subscription, but it won’t give you a blue check

Bluesky is working on a subscription that will add extra features like the ability to customize your profile and upload higher-quality video.

The Verge (www.theverge.com)

We'll see!