Products we own
The core of the Union. Products members propose, vote on, build and sell, from SaaS to licenses.
Software, owned by the people who build it.
They deprecated us. We united. United Radicals is a worker-owned collective of software engineers displaced by AI. We decide together what to build, build it with the best tools there are, and share what it earns.
We're gathering the first members now. Founding members vote on the charter and pick our first project.
AI took the jobs. It didn't take the skills.
Companies found they could ship with fewer people, and many of us, engineers with years of hard-won experience, were let go. Our skills didn't become worthless. They became unowned.
The same tools that replaced us make it possible for a small, coordinated group of experienced engineers to build what once took an entire company. So we'll build it ourselves, and own it together.
How it works
Propose
Any member can propose a product. It goes to a vote once five members commit real hours to building it.
Vote
Members vote for seven days. Everyone gets a vote; people who've delivered for the Union get up to one more.
Build
A small team with an elected lead plans an MVP and ships it. The community picks what to build; the team decides how.
Share
Revenue flows to the people who built it, to the Union's treasury, and to every active member.
How members earn
The splits below are our starting proposal. Founding members vote on the final numbers.
Client work
The Union takes paid contracts and staffs them with members. It's how members earn while our products grow.
Sponsors
Companies and people who believe in the mission fund the treasury in return for early access and a seat at roadmap discussions. Sponsors never get a vote.
100% of sponsorship goes to the Union treasury, spent on a budget published to all members.
What we stand for
- AI-amplified, not anti-AI
- One experienced engineer with AI is a team. A union of them is a company.
- Those who build should own
- Products, revenue and decisions belong to members, not outside shareholders.
- Ideas can come from anyone
- Every member can propose. The community decides what we commit to.
- Influence is earned, never total
- Contribution adds weight to your vote, capped so power stays spread out.
- Small teams, real ownership
- We don't vote on pull requests. Teams own the how.
- Open books
- Votes, finances and contribution records are visible to every member.
Questions
Is this a labor union?
No. United Radicals is a worker-owned cooperative: members build and sell software together and share what it earns. The name is about engineers uniting, not collective bargaining with an employer.
Do I have to have lost my job to AI?
Engineers displaced by AI come first, but any software professional who shares the mission can join: engineers, designers, product people, QA, DevOps.
Does it cost anything to join?
No. There are no membership fees.
Who owns what we build?
The Union owns it collectively. The people who build a product earn the largest share of its revenue, and keep what they've earned if they leave.
How much time do I need to give?
As much as you can. Joining costs nothing; backing a proposal means committing real hours to it, typically around five a week.
Is it political?
We're radical about how software is built and who owns it. We stay out of party politics, and people of every background are welcome.
Where are things right now?
We're in the founding phase: gathering the first members, who will vote to ratify the charter and pick our first project.
Become a founding member
Tell us who you are and what you'd like to build. Founding members ratify the charter, elect the first stewards, and choose our first project.
Prefer to look around first? Say hello in the community:
The sign-up form opens soon.
Until then, email hello@unitedradicals.com with your name, what you do, and how many hours a week you could give. We'll reply personally.