Nolto.social started as a small experiment as a free alternative to LinkedIn. The author wanted to explore ActivityPub and see what could be built. There was no funding, no team, no roadmap. Just an idea and some time.
Within a few weeks, almost a thousand people signed up. Companies created pages. Articles were posted. Events were shared. I never marketed it. It spread through blogs and word of mout
Nolto.Social [16.02.2026]
According to the author, Nolto was never meant to be a polished product. It was one person building something interesting to see what would happen. Now, the author has decided to shut it down.
Some might dismiss it as another AI project failing. – I see it differently.
What Nolto Really Proved
Nolto demonstrated demand. A private project attracted users and companies in record time. It showed that people want this. That companies want this. The author open-sourced the code and had the courage to stop it when it became clear the project was beyond their capacity to maintain.
What I see here is an opportunity!
Or as JTensetti writes it:
Nolto proved something simple:
You don’t need permission to experiment.You do not need funding to create value.
And you don’t need to be “approved” to build.
To everyone who builds, even when it’s uncomfortable — keep going.
The open web is not defined by gatekeepers.
It is defined by those who dare to build.
Nolto.Social (16.02.2026)
