A Brief History of Freenode
Before Discord, before Slack, and even before most people had high-speed internet, Internet Relay Chat (IRC) was the backbone of real-time online communication.
Among IRC networks, Freenode reigned supreme. Founded in the late 1990s by Rob Levin (known as “lilo”), Freenode began as the Open Projects Network—a space dedicated to free software developers and enthusiasts. It wasn’t just another chat network; it was the hub where some of the world’s most important open source projects coordinated their development.
Over time, projects like Linux, Debian, Ubuntu, FreeBSD, Gentoo, Wikimedia, and countless others made their homes on Freenode. By the mid-2010s, it was hosting tens of thousands of channels and hundreds of thousands of users, making it the largest IRC network dedicated to open collaboration.
The network’s nonprofit governance—initially under the Peer-Directed Projects Center (PDPC)—was seen as a safeguard against corporate meddling. Freenode wasn’t supposed to “belong” to anyone; it belonged to the community.
Governance Shift: A Quiet Ownership Change
That perception began to change in 2017, when Freenode’s head of staff, Christel Dahlskjaer, quietly incorporated a UK company called Freenode Limited. Ownership of the network was then transferred to Andrew Lee, founder of Private Internet Access (PIA) and a self-styled “Korean Crown Prince.”
At the time, staff were told the move wouldn’t affect operations. Freenode Limited would simply be a vehicle for conference sponsorships, and day-to-day administration would remain in the hands of volunteers. For several years, that seemed true—until the fragile trust between staff and the new owner collapsed.
The Breaking Point: The 2021 “Hostile Takeover”
In May 2021, internal disagreements became public and explosive.
- Staff Resignations: At least 14 senior volunteer staff members resigned en masse, accusing Lee of a “hostile takeover.” They alleged interference in governance, censorship of public statements, and a lack of transparency in decision-making.
- The Blog Post Incident: Staff published an announcement electing Tom Wesley as the new head of staff—but the post was swiftly deleted. To many, this confirmed suspicions that outside control was overriding community governance.
- Community Outrage: Projects and users began to ask whether they could still trust Freenode as a safe, neutral, and community-driven platform.
The conflict wasn’t just about personalities; it was about who actually owned Freenode—and whether ownership should even matter for a network built on volunteer work and free software ideals.
Escalation: Channel Seizures and a Network Reset
Things escalated quickly:
- Freenode staff began taking over channels belonging to projects that had announced moves to other networks, citing “inappropriate advertising.” This looked to many like retaliation.
- On June 14, 2021, Freenode performed a massive infrastructure reset. The entire network was migrated to new software (InspIRCd + Anope), and all previous data—nicknames, channel registrations, histories—was erased.
For communities that had invested decades of trust and identity into Freenode, this was devastating. Years of accumulated governance, operator hierarchies, and history were simply gone.
Exodus: The Birth of Libera Chat
Seeing no path forward under Lee’s leadership, former Freenode staff created a new network: Libera Chat.
Launched on May 19, 2021, Libera Chat quickly became the rallying point for displaced communities. Within weeks:
- Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch Linux, Debian, FreeBSD, Gentoo, Wikimedia, and hundreds of other projects migrated to Libera Chat.
- Other projects moved to alternatives like OFTC (Open and Free Technology Community).
The speed of this migration was unprecedented. It proved that what mattered was community, not infrastructure. People would rather rebuild somewhere else than remain in a network they no longer trusted.
The Aftermath: Freenode Today
Freenode still exists—but it’s a shadow of its former self.
- Many of its flagship projects and communities are gone.
- Trust in its governance has not recovered.
- Traffic is a fraction of what it once was.
Meanwhile, Libera Chat has cemented itself as the new “spiritual successor” to Freenode, carrying on the mission of providing a free, open, community-governed space for developers and users alike.
Lessons Learned: Why Freenode Fell
The collapse of Freenode offers several important lessons:
- Transparency is Non-Negotiable
Open communities thrive on trust. When governance becomes opaque, even the strongest networks can fracture. - Community Is Stronger Than Infrastructure
Servers can be replaced, but community cannot. Projects followed their people, not the Freenode brand. - Ownership Models Matter
Volunteer-driven ecosystems can’t coexist with corporate or individual ownership without clear boundaries. - IRC Still Matters
Despite being decades old, IRC proved its resilience. The migration to Libera Chat showed that open protocols still give users the freedom to choose—and leave—when trust is broken.
Conclusion: Freenode’s Legacy
Freenode’s fall is one of the most dramatic stories in the history of online communities. What was once the beating heart of open source collaboration collapsed in just a few weeks, undone by disputes over control and trust.
But its spirit didn’t die. It lives on in Libera Chat and the countless IRC networks that still power communities around the globe—including ours here at Morphie.
At Morphie, we take inspiration from this history: communities succeed when they are transparent, user-driven, and resilient. Platforms may come and go, but the bonds between people—that’s what really lasts.