About the CTRL Foundation

In a world where attention is fragmenting and people are emotionally degraded rather than enriched by technology, the CTRL Foundation stands for a fundamentally different vision. We support technology that aligns with how humans naturally think and communicate. The tools we fund let stories unfold, knowledge accumulate, and ideas persist beyond the ephemeral scroll of a feed.

The goal is a digital world where everyone, regardless of technical skill or economic status, can create, meaningfully contribute, and connect through tools designed for deep expression—not shallow engagement. Our credo is that online digital infrastructure must serve human potential rather than constraining it, full digital creative tools should be accessible to all, and technology must amplify our most meaningful capabilities instead of exploiting our vulnerabilities.

The CTRL Foundation [EIN 33-4637485], a tax-deductible 501(c)(3), helps to oversee Gides, a social platform that represents our values of technology that leads to human upgrading. We deliberately separate Gides from pure profit-seeking pressures and market expectations. This governance model allows us to influence platform decisions in the direction of long-term human benefit. By maintaining governance oversight of a better social media platform, we ensure that human flourishing—not revenue optimization—guides every decision made at Gides.

The Board

Chairman
Jeremy Medford
Boston, MA

Secretary
Matthew Nystrom
Denver, CO

Treasurer
Russell Hunter
Salt Lake City, UT

President: Michelle Medford

“We sense and see it all around us, in our family members, coworkers, our community. This fatigue, this nagging sense that social media has failed us. The promise of online connection has left us hollow and addicted. But we can, and will change this. The CTRL Foundation will help us take back control and restore the connection that we lost, to ourselves and others.”

The evolution

Our Backstory

As told by Jeff Medford, Architect of the CTRL Foundation

The CTRL Foundation was born from a moment of clarity during a vacation in Andalusia, Spain with Melissa Jenerette. While visiting historic sites, she turned to me and said, “Someone needs to make an app for these.” In that instant—like a Matrix-style download—a vision crystallized. In my mind I saw a platform where anyone, anywhere, could create and share rich, multimedia guides—not just for tourists sites or museums—but for any experience or knowledge they held. This spark ignited my dream to democratize digital creation, with the goal of making rich, flexible, multimedia posts for the web. With the help of designer Matthew Nystrom, the journey began.

As I traveled to over 50 countries, the need for a correction became starkly apparent through a profound encounter in rural Moldova. I saw a young boy selling flowers in the woods who looked remarkably like my own son. The contrast in their lives was striking: My American son had the entire digital world at his fingertips, but this Moldovan child’s ability to harness the internet for his benefit was constrained by technology, language, and economic differences. This digital divide illustrates a fundamental inequity: creating, sharing, and accessing knowledge online remains complex, technical, and exclusive.

The final insight in this journey occurred in January 2023 when I encountered the music of REN, whose unflinching rejection of music-industry pressures to sell out for money resonated deeply with me. His artistic integrity helped to crystallize my decision: My vision for a renewed internet was too important to risk being corrupted by the demands of maximalist profits. I chose to establish the CTRL Foundation—ensuring that Gides remains aligned with human flourishing.

The Present.

  • Posts are organized onto endlessly-scrolling, infinite timelines that bury your content—that give value to the present moment only.
  • Only the skilled or affluent have easy access to the most powerful online creation tools.
  • Platform owners are enriched without also contributing to the local economies of other regions.
  • Sharing is for viewing and liking instead of being used for collaborative information sharing and gathering.

The Future…

  • You will create and share vibrant, variable, dynamic multimedia stories in seconds—right from your phone, as easily as texting.
  • You will be able to post directly to the World-Wide Web instead of running into a World-Wide Wall.
  • You won’t be locked in the platform-post box. Rather, you’ll share your story your way—fast and flexible.
  • Instead of hunting for likes, your ideas will contribute to a worldwide collaborative knowledge network.

If we simply try to get existing platforms to change, we will fail. So we will create a better way to share.

The CTRL Foundation will dismantle the barriers that lock you out of the open internet, enabling you to teach, create, and connect in ways that elevate you and your community.

SHIFT the Vision