Chris TrottierSep 29, 2025

Tired of YouTube calling all the shots? It’s time to build something better—together.

Here’s the slide deck for a proposal to launch a PeerTube co-op.

Right now, there are three of us ready to get this off the ground. I’m looking for two more founder-members to bring us up to five. With that core, we’ll have the resources to make a PeerTube server not just viable, but sustainable—and built to last.

This isn’t about joining someone else’s platform. It’s about creating one. As a founder, you’ll have a real voice in governance and a direct hand in shaping content policies, by-laws, moderation rules, and more.

We’re staying early stage by design. This is the moment to get in, shape the vision, and build something that actually challenges the status quo. If that excites you, message me.

Slidedeck in .odp format: https://drive.proton.me/urls/ZRRBNK4XBM#RmYXrnhKXx3C

Slidedeck in .pptx format: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1LgJvocTe6hH8bCw-yy-2o5QWSYCABkyL/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=108163627088117284715&rtpof=true&sd=true

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Show threadWTL
@atomicpoet Are your founding members required to be in BC? I'm in Ontario.
Sep 29, 2025 at 8:17pmIvory for Mac
Show threadChris TrottierSep 29, 2025
@WTL I don’t think so. We already have three founding members in BC. Since BC only requires three people for co-op incorporation, we’ve satisfied that aspect. Now it’s just a matter of finding two or more people to make this a sustainable venture.
Show threadGunChleocSep 29, 2025

@atomicpoet @WTL Does it need to stay at 3 people after incorporation?

Just something to think about in case one of you will need to drop out one day because real life happens.

Show threadChris TrottierSep 29, 2025

@gunchleoc @WTL Good question—no, it doesn’t need to stay at 3 people after incorporation.

Under BC’s Co-operative Association Act, a co-op must have a minimum of 3 directors at all times, but it can absolutely expand beyond that. In fact, most co-ops add more directors over time as membership grows.

The key is to make sure your bylaws allow for board expansion, which they typically do by default (e.g., “the number of directors must not be fewer than 3, and may be increased by ordinary resolution”). If someone drops out, the co-op just has to appoint or elect a replacement to stay above the legal minimum.

So: start with 3 for agility, but you’re not locked into that number. Growth is expected and built into the structure.

Show threadGunChleocSep 30, 2025

@atomicpoet @WTL That's good news 🙂

I don't have the spoons for another project, but I wish you good luck.

One technical hint: If you want to allow synchronization to YouTube, make sure to add a cron job that will update yt-dlp frequently. It's an arms race. You will also need to use it with a JavaScript engine: https://github.com/yt-dlp/yt-dlp/issues/14404

[Announcement] Upcoming new requirements for YouTube downloads · Issue #14404 · yt-dlp/yt-dlp

Beginning very soon, you'll need to have Deno (or another supported JavaScript runtime) installed to keep YouTube downloads working as normal. Why? Up until now, yt-dlp has been able to use its bui...

GitHub
Show threadChris TrottierSep 30, 2025
@gunchleoc @WTL I appreciate the well-wishes so much, and that technical advice is so much appreciated.