I'm thinking about hype because I'm seeing a lot of business-y types talking about the Fediverse.

A few months ago, I mentioned that investor types have the Fediverse on their radar. They're not actively dropping millions into Fediverse startups, but it's definitely on their radar.

Most of us have high and lofty ideals. But there's sharks who are eyeing the Fediverse and thinking, "Ah, another opportunity for disruption."

Keep that strongly in mind when the buzzwords start flowing.

Some folks might be thinking, "You're just being anti-business! How are Fediverse developers supposed to be paid?"

As it happens, I run a business. I build software. I very much talk about the need for developers to make a sustainable living.

And I've indeed talked about how to best monetize the Fediverse.

Here's where I say the quiet part out loud: the Fediverse is already being monetized.

Mastodon accepts donation. Masto.host charges for hosting. A few devs are hired for theming.

@alanbell @atomicpoet
Or #outlook #gmail #apple like fediverse that blocks everything that is not the top 5 fedirated systems so you cannot self host like it is happening with #email and #xmpp

Is there a rule in the #fediverse that does not allow a server to grow past a certain size to avoid it taking over? E.g. what would happen if #elon_musk suddenly adds #twitter to the fediverse? Would it just suck up everybody else just out of convenience? And then proceed to block lesser known servers?