As AI platforms grow more centralised, a quiet counter-movement is emerging. Rather than joining the race for closed systems and subscription models, some developers are building tools that return control to the people using them. One of them is Alex Gleason, founder and CEO of Soapbox, whose latest creation, Shakespeare AI, is quietly changing how communities build online—with openness, freedom, and no corporate gatekeepers.
Building technology that puts people first
Alex Gleason speaks like someone who has spent years wrestling with the same problem: how to keep technology free. His passion is rooted in witnessing what happens when innovation starts serving corporations more than people. Soapbox was, in many ways, an act of protest—a response to the need for tools that let people truly own what they build. That thinking inspired Shakespeare AI, an open-source web builder that helps anyone create spaces on the open web, regardless of technical background.
The story began close to home. A few months ago, Gleason’s wife tried to build a small Nostr-based app using a closed AI platform. After weeks of errors and rising subscription costs, she nearly gave up. Watching her struggle gave Gleason an idea. “If someone as capable as her was struggling, imagine how many others were giving up before they even began,” he says. That moment became the foundation for Shakespeare, along with the underlying stack he named after her, MKStack.
Open by design, not by trend
Shakespeare AI isn’t another closed platform hidden behind a polished interface. Anyone can inspect, modify, and run it directly in the browser. Work remains private until users decide to share it. Flexibility is central: users can connect various AI models—OpenAI, Anthropic, Deepseek, or even local setups—so their projects aren’t locked into any one provider.
The platform is built to adapt as its user base grows. Startups can begin using hosted models, then switch to self-hosted versions. Community leaders can create collaborative spaces that truly belong to their members.
This open approach has already found real-world resonance. At Hack4Freedom, a women-led tech hackathon in Nigeria, Shakespeare was introduced to female developers who quickly built a range of tools—from a decentralised Reddit alternative to an anonymous reporting app for survivors of abuse and a digital cropshare network for local farmers. The event highlighted how open tools can empower new creators, especially when access to traditional platforms is limited.
The journey that led to Shakespeare AI
Gleason’s approach didn’t appear overnight. It comes from years spent in the decentralised web movement, including cofounding Spinster in 2019, launching Soapbox, building bridges between the Fediverse and Nostr, and joining collectives like And Other Stuff to strengthen open ecosystems. Through it all, the goal has remained steady: build software that resists centralisation.
Trust as a business model
Soapbox’s approach is simple: trust users, and invite them to shape the product. By keeping Shakespeare’s code open, collaboration is baked in. The community that has grown around it—fixing bugs, sharing templates, and improving integrations—shows that ownership creates longevity.
Freedom looks different for every creator
The real impact of Shakespeare AI is visible in the kinds of users it attracts. Developers who want to customise and extend tools; non-technical creators who build websites or apps without code; community leaders who need resilience against platform policy changes. Each improvement made by one user can help many others.
Independence comes with a learning curve
Choosing the open route brings challenges: resistance from entrenched systems, slower growth, and skepticism about scalability. But for Gleason and the Shakespeare community, these are signals of meaningful change.
That journey will continue this December at BTC++: Sovereignty in Taipei, where Gleason is set to lead a talk and workshop—another chance for Shakespeare AI to evolve in direct conversation with a global community of builders and activists.
Why this matters for startup founders
Shakespeare AI offers a rare alternative: a platform that grants full control over data and design, without the fear of being locked in. Startups can experiment and scale at their own pace. Transparency and community involvement are not just ideals—they’re practical advantages in a world that increasingly values fairness over speed.
Ready to build something open
Anyone curious about ethical AI or decentralised development can try Shakespeare at shakespeare.diy. It’s free to explore, with no hidden catches. What Gleason offers isn’t a solution to every problem, but a different kind of choice—one where technology remains in the hands of its users, wherever they may be.
“Technology should serve its users,” he says quietly. “That’s the real foundation of innovation.”
