written on January 27, 2026

Regular readers of this blog will know that I started a new company. We have put out just a tiny bit of information today, and some keen folks have discovered and reached out by email with many thoughtful responses. It has been delightful.

Colin and I met here, in Vienna. We started sharing coffees, ideas, and lunches, and soon found shared values despite coming from different backgrounds and different parts of the world. We are excited about the future, but we’re equally vigilant of it. After traveling together a bit, we decided to plunge into the cold water and start a company together. We want to be successful, but we want to do it the right way and we want to be able to demonstrate that to our kids.

Vienna is a city of great history, two million inhabitants and a fascinating vibe that is nothing like San Francisco. In fact, Vienna is in many ways the polar opposite to the Silicon Valley, both in mindset, in opportunity and approach to life. Colin comes from San Francisco, and though I’m Austrian, my career has been shaped by years working with California companies and people from there who used my Open Source software. Vienna is now our shared home. Despite Austria being so far away from California, it is a place of tinkerers and troublemakers. It’s always good to remind oneself that society consists of more than just your little bubble. It also creates the necessary counter balance to think in these times.

The world that is emerging in front of our eyes is one of change. We incorporated as a PBC with a founding charter to craft software and open protocols, strengthen human agency, bridge division and ignorance and to cultivate lasting joy and understanding. Things we believe in deeply.

I have dedicated 20 years of my life in one way or another creating Open Source software. In the same way as artificial intelligence calls into question the very nature of my profession and the way we build software, the present day circumstances are testing society. We’re not immune to these changes and we’re navigating them like everyone else, with a mixture of excitement and worry. But we share a belief that right now is the time to stand true to one’s values and principles. We want to take an earnest shot at leaving the world a better place than we found it. Rather than reject the changes that are happening, we look to nudge them towards the right direction.

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This entry was tagged earendil and thoughts

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