January 8, 2026
From bugs to beef
Why I Left iNaturalist
Co‑founder quits iNaturalist; fans split over ‘simple’ app and AI data
TLDR: A co‑founder left iNaturalist, slamming leadership’s push for a simpler app and raising governance concerns. Comments split hard: power users defend nuance, others want accessibility; AI data use and a broken Seek app become lightning rods, making this a pivotal moment for citizen science platforms.
iNaturalist’s co‑founder just walked away after 18 years, saying leadership is steering the beloved nature app toward “simpler” and away from its nerdy depth. The community immediately erupted. Power users cheered the critique, quoting the post’s fear that chasing quick, easy answers will alienate the people who love iNat’s messy nuance. Meanwhile, casual users and pragmatists asked: what’s wrong with being welcoming?
Then the debate jumped to AI and data rights. One commenter blasted the idea that users can’t easily move their contributions to a non‑AI service while still tapping iNat’s open data: “100x yes!” they wrote, calling the practice gross for a non‑profit. On the other side, defenders chimed in to say iNaturalist is essential, comparing it to Wikipedia and pointing out the network of regional experts who keep identifications honest. Cue a new meme: “Is this why Seek has been broken for 8 months?”—a jab at the companion app that’s supposed to ID things automatically. And the governance drama? Folks couldn’t resist the line about experimenting with “sociocracy” (a no‑hierarchy model) only to “abolish our own democracy” when a leadership circle took charge. The vibe: nature lovers, nerds, and newcomers are all here, but the forest’s getting spicy. Supporters urged the founder to keep building, even dropping a Patreon link.
Key Points
- •A co-founder left iNaturalist after nearly 18 years due to disagreements with current leadership on product direction and staff management.
- •iNaturalist originated in 2007 at UC Berkeley’s School of Information, co-founded by the author, Nate Agrin, and Jess Kline.
- •Collaboration with Scott began in 2009; an LLC was formed to accept funds for early development, including the first iPhone and Android apps.
- •The team joined the California Academy of Sciences in 2014 for resources and staffing, then left in 2023 to form an independent non-profit.
- •Organizational governance evolved from unstructured collaboration to a leadership circle (author, Scott, Carrie); the author later stepped down from leadership to focus on engineering; a new app replaced “iNat Next” as “iNaturalist,” with the old app becoming “iNaturalist Classic.”