Why we built a social network that's actually hard to join

Friction has a bad name on the internet. Most products spend their lives trying to remove it: fewer clicks, faster sign-ups, one-tap everything. The result is a feed that anyone — and anything — can join in about three seconds.

We think a little friction is the only honest way to keep a social network human. Not enough to stop you. Just enough to stop everyone else.

What we mean by friction

Friction here doesn't mean obstacles. It means small, deliberate checks placed in the right spots: at sign-up, occasionally while you're posting, and quietly in the background. The goal isn't to slow you down — it's to make sure the person on the other side of the screen is actually a person.

The trade is simple. You spend a few extra seconds proving you're a human. In exchange, every other post in your feed has done the same.

Why now

It's gotten worse fast. A meaningful chunk of what passes for online conversation is no longer written by anyone. The big platforms know this, and the incentive to do anything about it is somewhere between weak and negative.

We didn't want to wait for them to fix it.

What's next

We're starting small, on purpose. A waitlist. Founding members. A handful of communities. If you're reading this, you're early — and we'd like your help shaping it.