TL;DR
A co‑founder of iNaturalist announced his exit after nearly 18 years, citing disagreements with the current Leadership over product direction and people management. Tensions centered on a new mobile app, internal governance, a controversial AI grant, and a wave of staff departures.
What happened
The author, a long‑time co‑founder and engineer on iNaturalist, said he left the organization after almost 18 years because he no longer trusted the Leadership team’s product strategy or their approach to managing staff. He recounts the project’s early history, the move to the California Academy of Sciences in 2014, and the 2023 transition to an independent nonprofit. Conflict intensified around development of a rewritten mobile client (referred to here as “iNat Next”), with Leadership pushing to simplify the app for casual users and aim for an App Store feature around City Nature Challenge 2025. The author proposed a restructured Head of Product role with independent authority and offered to fill it; Leadership declined and the Executive Director assumed Head of Product responsibilities. In May 2025, Leadership offered buyouts to some mobile staff; the resulting departures, plus other resignations, produced roughly 30% staff attrition. The author also cites a contentious Google AI grant announcement as symptomatic of broader governance and communication problems.
Why it matters
- Disputes over product strategy affect who the platform serves — casual contributors or power users — with implications for usability and data quality.
- High staff turnover (about 30% reported) risks loss of institutional knowledge and slows development on major projects like the mobile app.
- Governance choices and leadership structure shaped recent decisions, highlighting tensions between collaborative and hierarchical decision‑making.
- Public controversies, such as the described AI grant announcement, can erode internal trust and provoke external scrutiny for community platforms.
Key facts
- Author helped create iNaturalist beginning with an idea in 2003 and a project built in 2007 at UC Berkeley School of Information.
- Co‑founders named include Nate Agrin and Jess Kline; collaboration with a person identified as Scott began in 2009.
- iNaturalist joined the California Academy of Sciences in 2014 and left that institution in 2023 to become an independent nonprofit.
- Leadership experimented with sociocracy before forming a three‑member Leadership circle (the author, Scott, and Carrie) and later a more hierarchical structure.
- A rewritten mobile app project called “iNat Next” was soft‑launched on iPhone; Leadership sought a simpler product aimed at incidental users and an App Store feature tied to City Nature Challenge 2025.
- On April 17, 2025 the author proposed a new Head of Product role with independent product authority; Leadership declined the proposal April 18 and around April 21 the Executive Director took on Head of Product duties.
- On May 5, 2025 Leadership offered departing mobile team members half a year’s pay to quit; many accepted and subsequent departures included another engineer and the Head of Engineering, totaling about 30% attrition.
- The organization hired three new engineers for the mobile team and brought on former board member Dan Rademacher as Head of Product, described by the author as lacking the independence he had proposed.
- The author was not involved in a controversial Google generative AI grant announcement, which he says was predicted to provoke backlash by the Engagement team but was pushed forward by Leadership.
What to watch next
- Whether the newly hired engineers and the incoming Head of Product stabilize delivery on the mobile app and other projects.
- How the organization responds to user feedback about the mobile app’s simplification versus power features for experienced users.
- not confirmed in the source: Whether the Leadership team will adopt governance or product structures that increase consultation with engineering and design staff.
Quick glossary
- iNaturalist: A community science platform for recording and identifying observations of biodiversity; developed over many years with contributions from a distributed team.
- California Academy of Sciences: A San Francisco‑based scientific institution that hosted iNaturalist between 2014 and 2023 before the project became an independent nonprofit.
- sociocracy: A governance model that emphasizes consent‑based decision making, distributed authority, and interconnected circles or teams.
- App Store feature: Prominent placement or promotion by Apple in its iOS App Store, often sought by developers to increase visibility and downloads.
- product leadership: Organizational roles and structures responsible for defining product strategy, prioritizing features, and coordinating design and engineering work.
Reader FAQ
Why did the author leave iNaturalist?
He cites fundamental disagreements with Leadership over product direction and the team’s management practices, particularly around the mobile app and decision‑making structures.
Did the Google gen AI grant cause the departure?
The author says he was not involved in that grant and it did not directly cause his exit, but he views the episode as symptomatic of broader leadership and communication issues.
Was the author offered a role to continue leading product?
He proposed a Head of Product with independent authority and offered to do the job; Leadership declined and the Executive Director took on the Head of Product duties.
Will the author continue working on natural history software?
He asked readers interested in supporting that work to back him on Patreon.
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
- What is this – iNaturalist and generative AI? – Page 6
- Grow Like Wild! – Cold Moon
- Volunteering and Other Ways to Help National Parks
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