The Email Provider Google Doesn't Want You to Know About (Fastmail Interview)

Ricardo Signes, Chief Engineer at Fastmail, explains why Gmail's email experience has become increasingly fragmented, and what it would take to actually fix the decades-old IMAP protocol that powers most of the internet. We dive deep into JMAP (the modern replacement Gmail won't adopt), privacy-by-design vs. encryption theater, and the hidden trade-offs between convenience and security that no one talks about. If you've noticed your email client feeling broken, this interview reveals why.

🔗 SOURCES & LINKS
• Fastmail: fastmail.com
• Fastmail Values Statement: fastmail.com/about/values
• Cyrus IMAP/JMAP Server (open source): cyrusimap.org
• JMAP Standard (RFC 8620): tools.ietf.org/html/rfc8620
• Web Push Standard (RFC 8030): tools.ietf.org/html/rfc8030
• Signal (for encrypted messaging): signal.org
• Fastmail Data Transparency Report: fastmail.com/about/transparency

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS
INTRO
WHAT DRAWS YOU TO FASTMAIL?
FASTMAIL VALUES & PHILOSOPHY
FASTMAIL TARGET USER
LACK OF NATIVE E2EE
WILL EMAIL EVER BE PRIVATE?
FASTMAIL E2EE OPTIONS
FASTMAIL CLIENT OPTIONS
FASTMAIL INTEGRATIONS
BEING GOOD INTERNET CITIZENS
BAD INTERNET CITIZENS
JMAP & OTHER EMAIL PROTOCOLS
REAL-WORLD BENEFITS OF JMAP
ISSUES WITH GMAIL ON IOS
LACK OF E2EE FOR EMAIL WITH ADP
DOES JMAP MAKE E2EE EASIER?
FASTMAIL + OPEN SOURCE
PROTECTIONS AGAINST BAD ACTORS
PHONE NUMBER REQUIREMENTS
AUSTRALIAN JURISDICTION
THE FASTMAIL TEAM
PRODUCTIVITY-FOCUSED EMAIL CLIENTS
FASTMAIL + IMAP
WHY THE NAME "FASTMAIL"?
IS JMAP WHY FASTMAIL IS SO FAST?
FASTMAIL'S IDEAL AVATAR + FUTURE PLANS
HOW TO FOLLOW RICARDO + FASTMAIL
OUTRO

🎥 VIDEO
Watch on YouTube (youtube.com/watch?v=FByPnomEh5o)

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The Email Provider Google Doesn't Want You to Know About (Fastmail Interview)

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