How /e/ began
In 2017, Gaël Duval, a long-term open-source supporter, realized that he was more and more using proprietary software- Apple and Android.
He felt trapped inside those Internet giants’ ecosystems – that use personal data to fuel their business models.
Gaël then started to look for alternatives and was pleased to find that many alternatives did actually exist – mobile phone operating systems and various web services such as personal data storage, search, and email. The issue he found was that they were very fragmented.
Then, in a series of articles entitled “Leaving Apple & Google: my /e/ odyssey” (one, two, three), he announced an initiative to build a consistent and attractive offering with all those features. This proposal would be mostly open-source, made from existing bricks, and would protect users from data spying.
Then he started a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to fuel early development. The campaign was very successful. The rest is history!
The /e/ mission and manifesto
We make available independent and open source IT infrastructure products & services, with an emphasis on respect for user data privacy, for the benefit of all.
We think that /e/ can have a global, worldwide impact as a major open source project in the public interest. It will help by freeing users from personal data spying and advertising.
/e/ is about freedom and privacy in the digital world.
The /e/ Foundation
/e/ is a non-profit project in the public interest. It needs a fully independent structure to protect its assets and make them sustainable in the long run.
The /e/ foundation will host core /e/ assets: domain names, trademarks, intellectual rights, technical expertise.
The /e/ foundation will be able to do some business that will ensure minimal income, and receive donations from individuals, corporates and governments.
Some /e/ “sister companies” will have strong links with the /e/ Foundation to develop business in specific related areas, and contribute to financing the /e/ Foundation.
Our non-profit organization “e Foundation” was incorporated in May 2018
The /e/ team
Our team is made of passionate people from all over the world!
Our team includes both employees, regular contributors and occasionnal contributors:
- Gaël: project leader
- Rhandros: designer
- Véronique: communication head
- Amit: software engineer
- Romain: software engineer
- Vincent: software engineer
- Thilo: software engineer
- Griffin: software engineer
- Nihar: software enthusiast
- Shawn: infrastructure engineer
- Russell: content editor
- Gomsi: community officer
- Anand: software engineer
- Akhil: software engineer
- Nivesh: software enginner
- Frank: software engineer
- Jo: software enthusiast
- Matthias: software engineer
- Daniel: web designer
- Sreeram: token enthusiast
- Renuka: software engineer
- Atebal & his team: software engineers
- Omer: software engineer
- Laurent: software engineer
- Maik: software security engineer
- Nathanaël: translator
- Stypox: translator
- Alkorismus: translator
- Tomas: translator
- Malu: translator
- Raf: translator
- Klaus: translator
- Lukas: translator
- Paolo: translator
- Julien: translator
- Victorien: translator
- Rui: translator
- Steffen: translator
- Hüseyin: translator
And thousands of /e/ supporters!