Moot to retire from 4chan

4chan, the internet equivalent of all things disturbing, terrifying and hilarious, just let loose a huge piece of news. Its founder, Chris Poole (also known as “Moot”) will be stepping down as its sole administrator:

“That foundation will now be put to the ultimate test, as today I’m retiring as 4chan’s administrator. From a user’s perspective, nothing should change. A few senior volunteers—including 4chan’s lead developer, managing moderator, and server administrator—have stepped up to ensure a smooth transition over the coming weeks.”

The reactions from posters have ranged from:

To this:

And to this:

As a frequent visitor for many years, I’ve witnessed a lot of what has happened over the years (all of it hilarious from my perspective). To see the one guy who kept the site up and running for so many years finally stepping down is quite a shock. I’m more inclined to agree with the third reaction post; what turn will the site take?

Will things dramatically change or will they just stay the same and continue to be that one place where a person can truly be anonymous? Only time will tell.

Best of luck to you Moot!