Very interesting read. Meta embracing the Fediverse is probably a sign that the global social media landscape is heading into a different direction, the right one. 🤞
I'm reminded of this critical article warning about the potential threat that they pose to the Fediverse, something they cannot buy out, like a competitor.
Even if they claim the opposite, the reality still is that they are so powerful, in terms of userbase and budget, and could easily "hijack" the protocol to suit their selfish business model... Basically, what Google did to XMPP with Google Talk in the late 90's, killing ICQ, or Microsoft with their Office Suite, etc.
A quote from the article:
What Google did to XMPP was not new. In fact, in 1998, Microsoft engineer Vinod Vallopllil explicitly wrote a text titled "Blunting OSS attacks" where he suggested to "de-commoditize protocols & applications […]. By extending these protocols and developing new protocols, we can deny OSS project’s entry into the market."