Yesterday, I asked, "Is the Fediverse destined to be hijacked by a VC-driven Silicon Valley startup that re-hashes Big Social all over again?"

Nope -- it's not inevitable.

Again, Automattic has shown us that not only do alternative models exist, they're probably more sustainable.

To beat Big Social, we don't have to become Big Social.

It's entirely possible -- nay, probable -- to build the "WordPress of Social Media".

/END

I get a lot of developers and entrepreneurs asking me for advice on a potential social media product.

Usually -- almost always -- I ask them: would you rather be Meta or Automattic?

At first, most of them think they want to be Meta. But then when I show them the stats on Automattic, many of them reconsider.

Sure, Meta attracts the Press.

Yet Automattic attracts good will and sustainability -- something Meta doesn't have.