https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/13/24342799/free-our-feeds-social-media-ecosystem-at-protocol-bluesky
"Technology advocates and celebrities are backing the launch of Free Our Feeds, a campaign designed to “save social media from billionaire capture.” The project aims to raise $30 million over three years to support the development of a social media ecosystem powered by the AT Protocol, or the decentralized network powering Bluesky."
https://freeourfeeds.com/
"Build independent infrastructure, such as a second “relay,” guaranteeing Bluesky users and developers have uninterrupted access to data streams, regardless of corporate decisions.
Fund developers to create a vibrant ecosystem of social applications built on open protocols, fostering healthier and more equitable online spaces.
The developers’ fund will re-grant to the community of innovators who can build the solutions we need to improve our social web (from content moderation services for under resourced languages to recommender systems that are optimized for what people actually want to see, and new apps and experiences that we can’t yet imagine)."
While the foundation is raising $30 million, it's unclear how much of that is going towards the second relay.
Also, what if we need a third relay in the future? Or a fourth relay? Would that be feasible?
The fact that no one has been able to build a second relay so far though, and that it is taking this big highly funded effort, is kind of telling.