Mastodon doesn't need to scale. Scale is about maximizing revenue with dark patterns, SEO, clickbait, propaganda and dopamine loops. Scale is the cesspool of human hatred and stupidity. Scale is you and your data being the product. Scale is a cancer Mastodon and other decentralized networks can hopefully avoid.

The only thing Mastodon has to do to "win" is continue to exist and thrive in its niche while the lumbering,, centralized corporate social media dinosaurs choke to death around them.