Flipboard Exits Twitter/X, Launches Podcast on Decentralized Social Media
A Strategic Shift to the Fediverse
Social magazine app Flipboard has officially announced its departure from Twitter/X, redirecting its focus toward decentralized social platforms like Mastodon. The company is also launching a new podcast, Dot Social, to explore the evolving landscape of decentralized social media.
Why Flipboard Is Leaving Twitter/X
In a public statement, Flipboard explained its decision:
“While we’ve enjoyed connecting with many of our community members there, we believe it’s vital to align our social presence with platforms that share our values for advancing trusted journalism, expert voices, and quality information. This is one of the reasons we’re moving away from Twitter/X and investing our energy in Mastodon and other open social platforms.”
Key reasons for the shift include:
- Moderation rollbacks leading to increased harmful rhetoric and hate speech
- Platform policies that amplify misinformation and false narratives
- Twitter/X’s restrictive API changes, which disrupted third-party integrations
Flipboard will maintain its X accounts solely to protect its brand but will no longer actively post or monitor the platform.
Embracing the Fediverse
Flipboard has been a vocal advocate for decentralized social media since Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition. The company has taken several steps to integrate with the fediverse:
- Launched a Mastodon server (flipboard.social) for its community and support teams
- Integrated with ActivityPub, the protocol behind Mastodon and other decentralized apps
- Curated editorial ‘desks’ to improve news discovery on Mastodon
- Added support for Bluesky and Pixelfed within its app
Introducing Dot Social: A Podcast on Decentralized Media
Flipboard CEO Mike McCue is spearheading a new podcast, Dot Social, to delve into the societal, technical, and cultural implications of decentralized social media. The show features high-profile guests, including:
- Mike Masnick (Founder, Techdirt)
- Mitchell Baker (CEO, Mozilla)
- Tony Stubblebine (CEO, Medium)
- Evan Prodromou (ActivityPub contributor)
- John Battelle (Co-founder, Wired)
McCue, a former Twitter board member and Netscape executive, believes the fediverse will eventually develop a sustainable business model. In the meantime, Flipboard aims to leverage its curation expertise to enhance decentralized platforms.
The Growing Fediverse Movement
Flipboard isn’t alone in embracing decentralized alternatives:
- Medium launched its own Mastodon instance
- WordPress enabled fediverse integration for blogs
- Mozilla invested in Mastodon client Mammoth
- Threads (Meta) plans future ActivityPub support
This shift signals a broader industry trend toward open, user-controlled social networks.
What’s Next for Flipboard?
With its Mastodon community thriving and Dot Social now live, Flipboard is positioning itself as a leader in the decentralized social web. As McCue noted, the company’s mission remains unchanged: to elevate quality content—just on platforms that align with its values.
Image Credits: Dot Social
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