Session is shutting down in 90 days

What Session Is and Shutdown Context

• Commenters describe Session as an end-to-end encrypted, decentralized messenger focused on anonymity (no phone number, onion routing), originally forked from Signal.
• Some had never heard of it and criticize the donation page for not clearly explaining what the app does or why it is needed given many similar messengers.
• Several mention its use on dark web drug markets and as an unmoderated alternative for adult content.

Funding, Costs, and Salaries

• The foundation says ~$65k in donations will cover 90 days of “critical infrastructure” but not staff; all paid developers are being let go.
• Many are skeptical that infrastructure alone could cost ~$20k/month for a 1.75M MAU app and suspect that figure implicitly includes staff time.
• The claim that senior developers “often” earn >$150k/year is hotly debated.
  • Some point to US and Swiss markets where this is common or even low for seniors.
  • Others note that in much of Europe and elsewhere, senior devs make far less, and total employer cost structures differ.

Business Model and Planning

• Strong criticism that the project launched and ran for years without a viable revenue model, now resorting to a last-minute $1M plea.
• Some defend “try it, if it doesn’t work, shut it down” as a legitimate strategy, especially if donors are clearly informed.
• Debate over whether formal business plans matter: some argue they’re essential; others cite many successful companies that evolved plans later.

Role of AI and Outsourcing

• Multiple comments suggest cheaper engineers in lower-cost countries or radical downsizing.
• A few argue that modern LLMs could replace much of a senior engineer’s work, though others push back, especially for security-sensitive code.

Security, Privacy, and Jurisdiction

• Several stress that Session focuses on anonymity vs. Signal’s focus on privacy with phone-number identity.
• Some distrust Session’s security design (e.g., removal of forward secrecy) and see it as potentially insecure or even a honeypot.
• Concerns raised about legal environments: Australia’s surveillance laws (Session moved operations to Switzerland), and the UK’s anti-encryption stance for a competitor (SimpleX).
• Metadata protection is highlighted as at least as important as content encryption.

User Experience and Adoption

• Experiences are mixed: some had critical account/login failures and unhelpful support; others struggled to get the app working at all.
• Contrasting anecdotes about Signal’s reliability; some report serious delivery/order issues, others none.
• A recurring theme: privacy/anonymity is seen as a “vitamin,” not an “aspirin”; most users won’t switch from mainstream messengers just for better privacy.

Alternatives and Community Response

• Alternatives mentioned include SimpleX Chat, XMPP+OMEMO, and Delta Chat.
• Some express sadness about the shutdown and respect for the difficulty of running a nonprofit; others are bluntly critical of the project’s crypto tie-ins, marketing, and sustainability.