TL;DR
A co-founder of iNaturalist announced his departure after nearly 18 years, citing disagreements with the current Leadership over product direction and people management. Disputes centered on the new mobile app, governance changes, a rejected product-role proposal, a staff buyout offer and a controversial AI grant that preceded significant staff turnover.
What happened
The author — a founder who helped build iNaturalist beginning in 2007 and who worked with co-founders Nate Agrin, Jess Kline and later collaborator Scott — said he has left the organization after almost 18 years. The project moved into the California Academy of Sciences in 2014, left CAS in 2023, and later became an independent nonprofit. Over time the organization shifted from a loose, founder-driven structure toward a formal Leadership team; the author describes experiments with sociocracy that were not fully adopted, and the emergence of a three-person Leadership circle. Conflict intensified around development of a new mobile app (referred to as "iNat Next") that soft-launched in late 2024. Leadership repeatedly changed priorities, pushing simplification to attract incidental users and aiming for a hard launch and App Store visibility. The author proposed a Head of Product role to give product staff more say (proposal dated 17 April 2025); Leadership declined the idea and shortly thereafter assigned product responsibility to the Executive Director. On 5 May 2025 Leadership offered many mobile-team staff a half-year's pay to quit; many accepted and overall attrition reached about 30%. A separate, widely criticized Google generative-AI grant announcement also provoked backlash. The author says those developments, and persistent disagreements over product and management, led to his departure.
Why it matters
- Tension between simplifying software for casual users and preserving advanced features for enthusiasts can reshape product strategy and user experience.
- Governance and decision-making structures affect staff empowerment; repeated direction changes and top-down mandates correlated with high turnover.
- Public-facing grant choices and communications (the cited AI grant) can generate community backlash and internal distrust.
- Leadership appointments and role authority — especially around product control — influence whether teams can align work with user needs and technical realities.
Key facts
- Author helped initiate iNaturalist starting in 2007 with Nate Agrin and Jess Kline and later collaborated with Scott beginning in 2009.
- iNaturalist joined the California Academy of Sciences in 2014, and separated to form an independent nonprofit in 2023.
- The organization experimented with sociocracy but ultimately adopted a more hierarchical Leadership circle.
- A new mobile app, called "iNat Next" in development, soft-launched on iPhone in late 2024.
- Leadership pushed for simplifying the app to attract incidental users and sought App Store promotion tied to events like City Nature Challenge 2025.
- On 17 April 2025 the author proposed a Head of Product with independent product authority; Leadership rejected the proposal the following day.
- Around 21 April 2025, the Executive Director took on the Head of Product responsibilities.
- On 5 May 2025 Leadership offered many iNat Next staff six months' pay to quit; subsequent departures and other resignations totaled roughly 30% attrition.
- Former board member Dan Rademacher joined staff as Head of Product after these events; the author reports this role did not appear to have the independence he had proposed.
- A controversial Google generative-AI grant announcement occurred while the author was departing; he says he was not involved in that grant but it contributed to staff discontent.
What to watch next
- Whether the organization will stabilize product direction and rebuild staff capacity after the reported 30% attrition (not confirmed in the source).
- Whether the newly appointed Head of Product will have the independent authority to consult with staff and shape product decisions as the author had proposed (not confirmed in the source).
- Whether iNat Next will be further promoted or featured in app stores and how that will affect user segmentation between casual and power users (not confirmed in the source).
Quick glossary
- iNaturalist: A community-driven platform for recording and identifying observations of biodiversity; originally developed by a group of students and collaborators and later housed within institutions and an independent nonprofit.
- Leadership circle: In this context, a small, multi-person leadership group formed to manage organizational decisions; here it refers to a three-person team that took on strategic duties.
- Sociocracy: A governance model that emphasizes consent-based decision-making, circles of responsibility, and distributed authority as an alternative to hierarchical management.
- Soft launch: A limited or gradual release of a product to a subset of users to collect feedback and iterate before a broader or formal launch.
Reader FAQ
Did the author found iNaturalist?
Yes. The author says he helped build iNaturalist starting in 2007 with fellow students and co-founders.
Was the author involved in the Google generative-AI grant?
According to the author, he was not involved in that grant or its announcement.
Did the author quit immediately after the buyout offer?
No. The author says he was offended by the buyout offer on 5 May 2025, considered options including a sabbatical, and ultimately decided to leave the organization later.
Is the claim that the new Head of Product has independent decision-making power confirmed?
Not confirmed in the source.
6th January 2026 Why I Left iNaturalist After almost 18 years, I left iNaturalist, the product and organization I helped create. I left because I don’t believe the current Leadership…
Sources
- Why I Left iNaturalist
- Thank you, Ken-ichi Ueda – News and Updates
- Anolis carolinensis
- Welcome! Please introduce yourselves in the comments
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