BREAKING NEWS: MOOT STEPPING DOWN AS HEAD OF 4CHAN

Christopher Moot Poole dropped the bomb today, by announcing that he is officially stepping down as the leader of 4chan. This news follows a series of changes to the site that have prompted numerous concerns about its future, including the recent requirement for moderators and janitors to provide government identification to maintain their positions as volunteers.

This has elicited a panic across the site as it leaves the future of the 11-year-old community uncertain, and many questions left to answer.

Moot reflected upon his role in the site in his news post, and assured users that "nothing should change" from their perspective, adding that he may one day like to return to the site as an emeritus.

He plans on hosting a livestreamed Q&A session where he will consult the community "one last time" on his Youtube channel.

4chan was the birthplace of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic fandom, which was nutured on the site's /co/ board, and raised on its /b/ board, before exploding unto the internet as a whole. It was moot who, in 2012, dedicated an entire board to the community that continues to this day on /mlp/.

The newspost is transcribed below.

THE NEXT CHAPTER by moot - 1/21/15 @ 11:00AM EST#

I founded 4chan eleven and a half years ago at the age of 15, and after more than a decade of service, I've decided it's time for me to move on.

4chan has faced numerous challenges over the years, including how to continuously satisfy a community of millions, and ensure the site has the human, technical, and financial resources to continue operating. But the biggest hurdle it's had to overcome is myself. As 4chan's sole administrator, decision maker, and keeper of most of its institutional knowledge, I've come to represent an uncomfortably large single point of failure.

I've spent the past two years working behind the scenes to address these challenges, and to provide 4chan with the foundation it needs to survive me by bolstering its finances, strengthening its infrastructure, and expanding and empowering its team of volunteers. And for the most part, I've succeeded. The site isn't in danger of going under financially any time soon, and it's as fast and stable as ever thanks to continued development and recent server upgrades. Team 4chan is also at its largest, and while I've still been calling the shots, I've delegated many of my responsibilities to a handful of trusted volunteers, most of whom have served the site for years.

That foundation will now be put to the ultimate test, as today I'm retiring as 4chan's administrator. From a user's perspective, nothing should change. A few senior volunteers—including 4chan's lead developer, managing moderator, and server administrator—have stepped up to ensure a smooth transition over the coming weeks.

I'll need time away to decompress and reflect, but I look forward to one day returning to 4chan as its Admin Emeritus or just another Anonymous, and also writing more about my experience running 4chan on my personal blog. The journey has been marked by highs and lows, surprises and disappointments, but ultimately immense satisfaction. I'm humbled to have had the privilege of both founding and presiding over what is easily one of the greatest communities to ever grace the Web. It was truly an honor to serve as 4chan's founding administrator, and I look forward to seeing what the next decade holds for the site.

On to the next chapter,

–moot

mootnote: I plan to dedicate this Friday afternoon (ET) to host a livestreamed Q&A session, where I'll hold court with the community one last time. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube page, and keep an eye out for a global message the day of. As always, I welcome and read all of my e-mails, and you may contact me personally at moot@4chan.org.

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Eleven and a half years of 4chan, in numbers:

42,176,061,890	Total pageviews
1,771,091,423	Total posts
1,071,189,182	Total visitors
620,125,147	Monthly pageviews
21,128,887	Daily pageviews
20,360,487	Monthly visitors
1,223,807	Daily visitors
2,838	Terabytes per month
105	Volunteers
63	Boards
1	Administrator