Hosted by Flipboard and Surf, the Fediverse House was SXSW’s first physical gathering dedicated entirely to the constellation of interoperable social platforms powered by protocols like ActivityPub and AT Protocol. (We know “Fediverse” isn’t quite accurate to describe the whole ecosystem; in this case, it was just a convenient, fun way to name the space.) Over the course of two days, March 9 and 10, leaders from Bluesky, Threads, Mastodon and the Social Web Foundation mingled with developers, publishers, marketers, creators, community builders, and people curious about the world of decentralized social.
The vibes were excellent. It was wonderful to meet in real life, many for the first time. It didn’t matter which platform you preferred or which protocol you were building on; everyone was focused on the singular goal of building a better internet.
Our cameras rolled throughout most of the event, which was filled with panels, demos, networking opportunities, music, and nibbles. We’ve uploaded several full sessions as well as choice clips from other panels. (Unfortunately, sound problems plagued the earliest talks.) So if you couldn’t join us and are curious as to what was said, these videos should help to solve any FOMO.
Fediverse House PeerTube Channel
The catchall Fediverse House channel for the event contains highlight moments from David Imel’s “Fediverse Corner” with Mike Masnick, CEO and Founder, Techdirt, and Board of Directors, Bluesky; Evan Prodromou, co-author, ActivityPub and Research Director, Social Web Foundation; and Peter Cottle, Software Engineer, Threads.
The channel also offers inspiring soundbites from Molly White’s opening salvo, “A Better Web Is Possible,” plus excerpts from “From Walled Gardens to the Open Social Web: The Next Evolution of Brand Storytelling” with Gina Michnowicz, CEO and CCO at The Craftsman Agency; “Creators and the Fediverse,” with Cottle, Jim Louderback, Editor and CEO, Inside the Creator Economy, and Shira Lazar, creator and founder of What’s Trending, and “Publishers: Audience and Autonomy” with 404 Media’s Jason Koebler, Texas Observer’s Kit O’Connell, and PMC’s Parker Ortolani.
Digital Sovereignty Is the New Influencer Status
Our SXSW sojourn began with the acceptance of this fireside chat through the Panel Picker process. Flipboard CEO and Co-founder Mike McCue sat down with Molly White inside the Austin Convention Center to talk about how the real power move for creators is ownership and control of their work and livelihoods. It’s amazing to listen in, because you’ll see that this freedom is actually closer than ever before. White explains how she manages to thrive as an independent creator in 2025 and takes smart questions from the audience.
Surf Demo With Mike McCue
The Flipboard CEO and Co-founder gave attendees an in-depth look at Surf, a new kind of browser for the social web and a way to bring your communities together through custom feeds. Since Surf is still in private beta, watching this demo is a great way to go under the hood and learn how to use Surf, understand what it’s for, and get insider tips on making custom feeds that suit your needs. It’s also not without a few humorous moments (thank you, “Bob Ross”).
Building Communities Across the Social Web Panel
This is a thoughtful conversation amongst veteran community practitioners Leila Brillson, CMO, The Onion; Andy Piper, Head of Communications and Developer Relations Lead, Mastodon; and Rose Wang COO, Bluesky. Moderated by Flipboard’s Mia Quagliarello, the panel serves as a kind of state of the union on community building in 2025, which now encompasses both walled-garden social networks and newer decentralized ecosystems. The discussion touches on the importance of authenticity, defining and measuring healthy communities, the role of hashtags in fostering community engagement, the need for flexible moderation systems, and of course, vibes.
Dot Social Episode with Paul Frazee, CTO, Bluesky
Mike McCue sits down with Bluesky’s personable CTO, Paul Frazee, who dons butterfly wings during the conversation. Frazee unpacks Bluesky’s first principles, what makes AT Protocol different from ActivityPub, why identity portability is a radical shift, and how decentralization could lead to more humane social spaces. Overall, he’s fantastic at tying technical concepts to their practical application and global impact.
Dot Social Episode with Cory Doctorow, Blogger, Journalist, Author and Activist
Wow — Cory Doctorow can embark on a 10-minute monologue about what’s wrong with tech and still leave you hungry for more. His rapid-fire analysis and biting humor lay out a stunning picture of the mess we’re in, starting with the idea of “enshittification.” It’s a term he coined to describe how we got the current situation where platforms prioritize business interests over user experience, leading to tragic declines in quality and trust. From there, Doctorow goes on to challenge platform monopolies and suggest the importance of true federation.
If you joined us at the Fediverse House, thanks so much for coming! We enjoyed meeting you and hope to continue the conversation here, on our social channels (Mastodon, Bluesky, Threads, PeerTube), or try us at sxsw25@flipboard.com.
In the meantime, check out our Dot Social podcast for more inspiring conversations about building a better internet on the social web.