Proton, an industry leader in digital privacy and the creator of one the best Vpn, has announced a major change in the way it works. It has gone the non-profit route. 

The newly established Proton Foundation is now a major shareholder of the Proton Group and its "legally binding objective" is to "further advance privacy, freedom and democracy around the world.""

Now in its decade, the company has been advocating for digital freedom since its inception. Further strengthening its credentials, the Foundation can even count Tim Berners-Lee, the man who invented the World Wide Web, among its board members.

This is a move to ensure Proton's commitment to the mission. Founders Andy Yen and Jason Stockman, and Dingchao Lu, Proton's first employees, donated their shares to give the Foundation a major stake in the company. 

In Switzerland (where Proton is based), non-profit organizations have no shareholders and board members have a legal obligation to pursue the Foundation's objectives. By transferring control of Proton to the Foundation, the company is substantially immune to the threat of a hostile takeover. It can not be bought, and sales and profits are no longer a measure of achievement – in an open letter Andy Yen declared: "Our success is replaced by influence

In essence, this move ensures the independence and longevity of the proton. 

It is not. To maintain its mission, Proton still operates as a Foundation-overseen business, Proton AG. This means that things like Proton VPN and the popular Proton Mail don't go anywhere. 

Proton has no venture capital shareholders, donations, or subsidies from governments or large corporations, so to continue doing business, it needs to continue to act like a business. Of course, Proton's performance as a business affects its ambitions as a nonprofit. It promised to run the Foundation for 1% of its net income (if conditions permit). 

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