Maven, a new social media platform aimed at fostering serendipitous interactions, has lost its co-founders just three months after its public launch. Kenneth Stanley, a former OpenAI researcher, announced his departure along with co-founder Blas Moros, citing the need for the company to explore other opportunities in light of current challenges.
In a post on Maven and X, Stanley explained that while the platform received enthusiastic feedback after its launch, it “could not achieve the kind of growth curve that investors want to see.” He noted that there is likely still a “missing ingredient” needed for that growth.
Maven is currently facing a critical financial situation, with its runway extending for only a few months. Jimmy Secretan, the company’s chief technology officer, will remain in his role to steer product innovation and help navigate the next steps for the platform.
“We made these changes to become more efficient and maintain a tighter ship,” Stanley told TechCrunch in a phone interview. He expressed that while he would have preferred to secure funding and stay with the company, this decision allows Maven to survive and continue its mission. Stanley emphasized the importance of preserving Maven’s vision, stating that the internet needs alternatives to the typical popularity contests seen on other platforms.
Maven, which began as a soft launch in January and had its public debut in May, was backed by notable investors including Twitter co-founder Ev Williams and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who contributed to a $2 million seed funding round in 2023. At that time, Stanley mentioned that these tech leaders invested in Maven due to their belief in its mission to increase opportunities for meaningful connections.
The platform is designed to allow users to follow topics of interest, ranging from neuroscience to parenting, without the usual features found on social media, such as likes, shares, or followers. While these traditional elements can lead to a more toxic environment, they also help keep users engaged, which poses a significant challenge for Maven in attracting a larger user base.
In previous discussions, Stanley had suggested potential monetization strategies, such as subscription models or advertising, to attract investors. However, Secretan noted that Maven needs to focus on growing its user base before considering monetization.
“We excel at fostering deep conversations about interesting and unexpected topics,” Secretan explained. “Unfortunately, these types of discussions are not very viral, which makes growth more challenging.”
Following the co-founders’ exit, Maven plans to hire product design experts on a contract basis to help maintain its unique approach while also working to attract more users. Secretan emphasized that the platform would not resort to diluting its content with popular but less meaningful posts.
In addition to Maven, the team has developed a spinoff app called Ryff, which utilizes generative AI art to help users explore their interests.
As for Stanley, he is looking forward to new opportunities and is excited to return to the field of artificial intelligence. He mentioned his interest in “open-endedness,” an area of AI research aimed at creating algorithms that can continuously solve new problems, viewing it as a potential antidote to traditional optimization methods.
The future remains uncertain for Maven, but with Secretan at the helm, there is hope that the platform can still fulfill its mission of fostering meaningful interactions in the digital world.
