April 9, 2026
Encrypt the chat, not the payroll
Session is shutting down in 90 days
90 days to live: $1M needed, comment war over salaries, Signal, and survival
TLDR: Session says it will shut down in 90 days without about $1M in funding. Comments explode over salary claims, whether Signal’s phone-number login is “good enough,” and the lack of a business plan—turning a funding plea into a debate on how privacy apps survive with millions of users.
Privacy chat app Session just hit the panic button: 90 days to raise about $1M or shut down. They’ve got around $72k in donations, plan to keep the lights on with volunteers until July 8, 2026, and say leftover funds go to the EFF. But the real fireworks? The comments. One reader deadpanned “never heard of them” and roasted Session’s claim that senior developers “often” earn $150k as a US‑only fantasy. Another asked why not hire in lower‑cost countries like Germany. Cue salary wars, currency confusion, and a whole lot of spreadsheet cosplay.
Then came the Signal vs Session skirmish. A Signal fan shrugged that tying accounts to phone numbers is “reasonable for normal people,” even if it blocks “ultra‑paranoid” cases—basically, “just use Signal, bro.” That set off the privacy‑purist nerves. Meanwhile, the business crowd showed up with clipboards: Where’s the plan? One commenter insisted nonprofits are still businesses and demanded a revenue model, while another warned donations without change just prop up “a non‑viable” project. Amid the drama, a few cheered Session’s mission—no phone numbers, decentralized tech—but worried the math doesn’t add up. Verdict from the peanut gallery: great ideals, thin runway, and a community split between opening their wallets and opening a spreadsheet.
Key Points
- •STF warns Session will cease operations on July 8, 2026, if funding goals are not met, marking a 90-day window.
- •All paid staff and developers end work on April 9, 2026; volunteers will maintain Session until July 8, 2026.
- •Approximately $65K–$72K has been raised toward an estimated $1M annual funding requirement.
- •Session reports strong usage metrics: millions of downloads and 1.7 million monthly active users.
- •If sufficient funding is not secured, donations unusable under STF’s constitution will be publicly donated to the Electronic Frontier Foundation; multiple donation methods are provided.