It’ll be interesting to see how the Fediverse moves forward without direct monetization.
We’ve seen Usenet become more of a niche platform because it’s hard to monetize. Meanwhile, the popular social platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) are dripping in ads, which make it easier for them to build and maintain developer teams.
I want the Fediverse to succeed, but I have a hard time seeing how it can compete for average users without paid developer hours.