Reclaiming Our Foundation

The Urbit Senate is voting on a proposal to replace the Foundation's Board of Directors. With 11 YEA votes and 0 NAY so far, Galaxy operators and core developers are unanimous: the current board no longer represents Urbit's best interests.

Curtis Yarvin, Urbit's original founder, returned to the project last August. Since then, many of the Foundation's key contributors have resigned in protest. As the board's most engaged member and Executive Director since November, I initially supported his involvement but came to realize this was a mistake. When I fired Curtis last week — a decision supported by the Foundation team and community leaders — the Board immediately retaliated. On June 25th, they voted 2-1 to remove me as Executive Director and install Curtis in my place.

I was wrong to think working with Curtis was viable. The developers, operators, and contributors who've sustained Urbit understand what it needs better than those making decisions from the outside.

Unanimous Support vs. Isolated Leadership

What distinguishes this moment is unprecedented unity. The Senate proposal comes from five well-established Urbit leaders. Every technical contributor who has voted supports it. Outside the board itself, support for new leadership is virtually unanimous among those who actually build, operate, and use Urbit.

The other board members rarely use Urbit and fundamentally misunderstand the project. They see it as a traditional Silicon Valley investment that needs to become a profitable app. The community sees it as revolutionary infrastructure for user ownership and coordination.

Clear Vision, Wrong Leadership

The community has concrete plans to fulfill Urbit's promise. Neoscape will make Urbit the home cypherpunks have always needed. It brings sovereign ownership to social capital, just like crypto did for financial capital. It makes censorship technically impossible, not merely promised. We're building for those betrayed by centralized platforms.

The board's poor judgment stems not from malice but from misalignment. They don't understand why VC-driven thinking fails for a project like Urbit. Even Curtis has repeatedly acknowledged he shouldn't be in direct power — wisdom the board forced him to abandon.

Take Action

Whether you hold a Galaxy or believe in Urbit's mission, this moment requires your engagement. The future of Urbit shouldn't be decided in boardrooms by those who see it as just another investment, but by the community that understands its revolutionary potential.

Contact your Galaxy operators. Make your position known. Get on Urbit and help us reclaim our foundation.

Ryan Kneer
~master-malwyl
July 2, 2025