The year of the co-operative
Welcome to Hypha’s, only slightly late, Winter 2025 newsletter! We’ve spent the last few months abuzz with enthusiasm at our brand new parental leave policy. Yes, Hypha members are now allowed newborn children. Just in time, too, as two of us are welcoming babies this year (long live the adhocracy.) We’re insanely proud to have gotten to a place where people feel safe to have children while working at Hypha.
This feels particularly relevant given that 2025 is the UN-approved year of the cooperative. Our members’ children are proof that cooperative labour is capable of producing viable businesses that can sustain families. This edition of the newsletter celebrates that potential. On to the content!
Thoughts on Governance
Did you know that a group of cats is called a ‘clowder’ (if they know each other), or a ‘glaring’ if the cats are not close associates (i.e. they just converged on the same tuna can)? Most cats in our clowder did not! Andi did, though. She put together a post on our dripline discussing the evolution of Hypha’s governance model and how we turned into self-herding cats. You’ll also find, among other report-backs, her thoughts on the analysis of cooperative ecosystems. How does the flow of communication impact the flow of power? How can technological decentralization enable the decentralization of power?
Another thing Andi knows is collage, and she contributed a collage to MEDLab’s Tarot-themed zine on open source governance. Click through to learn how to manage your trauma. Also featured is, naturally, Hypha’s resident intermedia artist Vincent, who’s put together a mind-bending visual representation where open source governance experiences mirror the organic evolution of git repositories. Merge hell has never looked so enticing!
Co-ops working with co-ops
Since 2022, Hypha has been putting principle 6 (Cooperation among cooperatives) into action through our collaboration with Sutty, a co-operative based in Buenos Aires. That year, we submitted a successful joint proposal to the Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web (FFDW) to fund work on our Distributed Press project.
Distributed.Press is a suite of tools for publishing to the decentralized web, and for interacting with ActivityPub, the protocol that powers the Fediverse. The Hypha and Sutty teams worked closely together to develop features like the Social Inbox and Social Reader, as well as creating a smoother process for publishing content on decentralized protocols. (Are you thinking decentra-whaaaa after reading this paragraph? See the Distributed Press FAQs for an explainer).
Tools like Distributed Press support a more resilient and open internet, something that is more important than ever in these times of rampant tech oligarchies. We’re proud to do this important work in cooperation with Sutty and co-create better technical futures for us all.
Hypha members ask “what’s it like to work at a cooperative?”
Finally, we thought we’d explore what the general public thinks about life at a co-op. Several Hypha members went out to casually interrogate friends and family. Here’s what they had to say:
From Dante’s brother:
Q: What does it mean to you to be a part of a co-op?
A: To be part of a group where everyone has a shared goal and the structure of the group is decided upon by its members.
From Lexa’s dear friend Hazel:
Q: If I were leaving Hypha and you were in charge of hiring someone to do everything I currently do at the co-op, what responsibilities would you put in the job posting to hire my replacement?
A: you primarily manage testnet deployments on the cosmos hub (which is a blockchain that tries to make other blockchains interoperable and uses its tokens for governance voting). testnet deployments are the dry run to full deployments.
you do a lot of governance work…which is why your team does so much testnet work. It was part of a big grant proposal.
testnet work includes overseeing (or doing) the technical work of deployment but also the social work of engaging with the community at large via discord/forums/other socials, and recruiting validators.
you also do PM/HR stuff for Hypha, like changing the salary process, figuring out the co-op’s funding, interpersonal mediation and coordination, reviewing and writing bylaws.
Q: Do I have a manager?
hmm i am not certain of the org structure at hypha but udit is your team lead?
Q: Do you think I like being part of a co-op?
yes, overall. i think you get a lot out of engaging with the internal governance and shaping of the co-op, and you like the amount of autonomy that working at a co-op gives you. i think you also appreciate working at a place that's so mission-driven? it's less soulless than traditional corporations because there has to be some ideological alignment and interpersonal fit to make the structure work.
From Violet’s emotional support ex-gf Cynthia:
Q: What do you think about working for a co-operative?
I think everyone should work for a co-op. Co-ops ensure that everyone's efforts can benefit each and every employee, instead of just a few people that sit above everyone, giving directions and watching the work get done.
Q: How do you imagine my life at Hypha? How many bosses do you think I have?
Hypha's a small co-operative, divided into teams where each project has its own lead. At the same time, everyone knows that responsibility is shared by everyone. It's more flexible, and has better work-life balance, because the co-op's mission isn't just to generate profit, but also to safeguard the welfare of all employees.
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And that is a wrap on this newsletter. If you like what we have to say, you might like working with us. We’re always looking for exciting new projects to sink our teeth into. Just email hello@hypha.coop
Anyway, it’s now March, and we send you our warmest regards from sunny Tkaronto. Until next time!