It's true that "new role at Mastodon" is misleading - distinguishing Mastodon-the-network vs Mastodon gGmbH (DE) vs Mastodon Inc (US) is crucial for healthy decentralisation.
The givebutter page [1] really *does* say:
"... centrally operated out of the U.S., backed by venture capital"
Do people making donations earn shares in the #VentureCapital? Or are these just donations to empower billionaire investors to make them feel safe?
[1] https://archive.today/2024.12.01-141103/https://givebutter.com/givingmastodon