Who Runs Odysee — And Why They Won't Act

Jeremy Kauffman (born September 19, 1984) founded LBRY in 2015 and launched Odysee in September 2020. He holds two B.S. degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and ran as the Libertarian nominee for U.S. Senate from New Hampshire in 2022 (receiving ~2% of the vote). He described LBRY as "the most censorship-resistant system to ever exist for the purposes of publishing digital content."

Documented Statements & Actions

Free State Project Expulsion (September 2023)

Kauffman was expelled from the Free State Project board after refusing to stop using FSP social media accounts to amplify white supremacist content. Specific reasons cited included:

• Posts supporting the former apartheid South African government
• Retweeting white supremacist accounts
• Posts about "Jews controlling the world"
• Supporting violence against transgender people

FSP founder Jason Sorens told Kauffman his activity cost the organization its biggest donor. Kauffman was expelled by board vote.

FBI Visit Over Assassination Post (September 2024)

On September 15, 2024, the LPNH account — reportedly run by Kauffman — posted: "Anyone who murders Kamala Harris would be an American Hero." This was posted on the same day as the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Florida.

The FBI visited Kauffman at his home the next day. He filmed the encounter and refused to stop recording. The U.S. Attorney's Office for New Hampshire stated: "Threatening violence is a crime and those who do this will be investigated, prosecuted, and held to account." The Secret Service confirmed they investigate all threats related to protectees.

This is the founder of Odysee — the platform whose Community Guidelines prohibit "incitement to violence."

Sources: TIME, Newsweek, NBC Boston, Sportskeeda (Sep 15–16, 2024)

Julian Chandra studied at Auckland University of Technology (2006–2008, Diploma in Marketing; then B.Bus. with double major in Marketing and Management). Before LBRY, he served as Head of Partnerships for Australia and New Zealand at TikTok (2019). He joined LBRY in 2020 as Chief Marketing Officer and was promoted to Odysee CEO in September 2021 — four months after the leaked email scandal. He is responsible for the most damning piece of evidence about Odysee's moderation policy.

The Leaked Email (May 2021)

After The Guardian published the email, Chandra claimed the piece used "isolated statements while ignoring the parts that make this a non-story," saying the outlet "left out entire paragraphs where we disavow nazism." He was promoted to CEO four months later.

Post-Acquisition: Doubling Down (2024)

After Forward Research acquired Odysee, Chandra announced the platform would migrate to Arweave, promising users "complete autonomy and self governance with no compromises." This statement came after the SPLC had documented 165 extremist channels, $336,000 in tips to hate groups, and a wanted fugitive earning $33,000 on the platform. "No compromises" means no moderation.

Sam Williams graduated from the University of Nottingham in 2014 with a First-Class B.Sc. in Computer Science, then began a PhD at the University of Kent while working as an Assistant Lecturer (2014–2017). In May 2017 he founded Arweave, a decentralized permanent data storage protocol. Arweave raised approximately $22 million in venture capital from investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Union Square Ventures, and Coinbase Ventures. In 2022, Williams co-founded Forward Research with Sebastian Campos Groth as an Arweave-focused incubator.

In June 2024, Forward Research acquired Odysee — bringing approximately 7 million users to the Arweave ecosystem. The acquisition proceeded after the SPLC had published its Digital Threat Report documenting 165 extremist channels, 50,459 extremist videos, and $336,000 in payments to hate groups. Williams framed the acquisition as a "rescue" after LBRY's collapse, but made no commitment to address any of the documented extremist content. He retained Julian Chandra — the author of the "nazi isn't grounds for removal" email — as CEO.

Response to Documented Extremism

Williams has made no public commitment to implementing content moderation, removing extremist channels, or complying with the EU Digital Services Act. His vision for Odysee on Arweave's "permaweb" would make content permanently and irrevocably stored — eliminating even the theoretical possibility of content removal.

Background & Education

Campos Groth holds a Bachelor's in International Relations and Politics from UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México), completed coursework at Georgetown University, and earned a Master in Public Policy from the Hertie School (Berlin). Before Arweave, he worked as a Senior Consultant at hy (the Axel Springer ecosystem firm) and as Program Manager and Investor at Techstars Berlin / METRO Accelerator for Retail, overseeing acceleration of early-stage companies. He became Arweave's COO in June 2019 and co-founded Forward Research in 2022.

The Internet Watch Foundation Contradiction

Campos Groth has been listed as a Funding Council Representative at the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) — the UK-based organization whose sole mission is finding and removing online child sexual abuse imagery. The IWF works with law enforcement worldwide to identify and take down CSAM and is one of the most respected child safety organizations in the world. Yet in his role as Forward Research COO, Campos Groth co-acquired a platform that:

• Hosts 165 SPLC-identified extremist channels with 50,459 videos
• Has no effective content moderation — reports go unanswered
• Paid $336,000 to hate groups and extremist content creators
• Employed a developer whose previous platform hosted the Christchurch massacre video
• Is migrating to permanent, irrevocable storage on Arweave — making any future content removal impossible
• Retains Julian Chandra as CEO — the man who wrote "nazi isn't grounds for removal"

Operational Decisions Under His Leadership

As COO, Campos Groth oversees the operational execution of Forward Research's portfolio — including Odysee. Forward Research's Open Web Foundry program has incubated over 85 Arweave projects collectively valued at $500 million+. This is not a small operation. Campos Groth has the resources, the organizational capacity, and — given his IWF affiliation — the domain knowledge to implement content moderation. He has chosen not to.

Campos Groth has made no public statement about Odysee's extremist content, the SPLC report, the leaked Chandra email, or any plans for moderation. His silence, combined with the operational decisions he oversees, speaks for itself.