So if the creators mess with the code, people can just jump ship to a different fork.

agreed. a reddit clone atop activitypub seems to be an uneasy, but workable fit. there are many areas to improve upon, including baking in more privacy by default and solidifying the best use of the underlying protocol.

with any code from anyone, vigilance is required to ensure that the tool remains neutral. diversion from that means its fork time. the social interactions on the network appear to be “evening out” and, while some may call that gentrification, I think a social mix is required for success.

as of yet, I have not seen any sound technical argument put forward – apart from those related to the relative nascent state of the project – to put me off of it. should that change, then decisions will need to be made.

bottom line… political alignment (and even extremism) of anyone involved in the technical development process is mostly irrelevant when the social network is so much bigger than any person.