@benpate @maikel That doesn't sound right. Mastodon came first, ActivityPub came later. Surely that's enough of an explanation? AP was a retro-fit to an existing social media site. Of course it was a bodge job.
To me, that's the true purpose of AP. It works best for connecting existing communities. We should reject the idea of tearing apart and rebuilding what exists today. Instead we should grow the network by meeting people where they are. Talk of "purity" can only be destructive.