John O'Nolan, founder of Ghost: the independent, non-profit publishing platform

John O'Nolan, founder of Ghost, an independent and non-profit publishing platform, launched his company through a Kickstarter campaign 11 years ago. He chose to build Ghost as a non-profit organisation, deliberately limiting his future options — but that was precisely the point: he wanted to remove as much optionality as possible. As he put it in the interview, "I wanted to remove as much optionality as possible by creating Ghost as a non-profit organisation."

John started out contributing to WordPress as a volunteer, but he was let down by the reality of the open-source community, which didn't live up to the values it claimed to champion. So he decided to build Ghost to democratise online publishing, with no hidden agenda. In the interview, he explained his vision for the future of online publishing: "I'm convinced that the future of online publishing lies in independent, decentralised platforms, where creators have complete control over their content and their audience."

John has always been passionate about music, and he even studied contemporary music at the Brighton Institute of Modern Music. He quickly realised, however, that he was only an average musician, and he decided to turn to building websites for the talented musicians around him. Today, John still makes music, but anonymously, because he believes that true creativity on the internet can only exist in anonymity. In the interview, he explained his philosophy of anonymity online: "I think true creativity on the internet can only exist in anonymity."

Ghost was successfully launched in September 2013 on Kickstarter, raising nearly €300,000 in 29 days. Since then, the platform has grown steadily and has become a popular alternative to traditional blogging platforms. John is convinced that the future of online publishing lies in independent, decentralised platforms, where creators have complete control over their content and their audience.

Beyond his work on Ghost, John is also known for his outspoken views on the tech industry and for his commitment to open source and transparency. He is a passionate advocate for the independence and long-term sustainability of open-source projects, and he believes that companies should be guided by ethical values rather than the pursuit of profit at any cost.

All in all, John O'Nolan is a passionate entrepreneur and thinker who has built a successful independent publishing platform by focusing on the values of democratisation, independence and transparency. His vision for the future of online publishing is inspiring and deserves to be considered by anyone with an interest in the future of the internet and online content creation.

Ghost, what is it?