Yes, I Said "Hiring" — No, You're Not Getting Paid (Yet)

Why My Minecraft Servers Are Still Alive While Yours Are Listed for $45 on ServerList Graveyard

Let’s get one thing straight: I’m not just some dude renting a $5 Minecraft realm and playing CEO. Aethro is a registered business in California. This is a serious project, run with structure, sustainability, and a future in mind—not some throwaway Discord fantasy.

I’ve been running game servers since I was 16. I’ve hosted Minecraft servers longer than some of you have known how to port forward. This current network? Still going strong after over 3 years—no crashes, no resets, no begging for donations to survive.

Before anyone gets smug and says “your server will die too,” let’s kill that nonsense right now:
I don’t rely on donations to run my servers. I have a major, stable income outside of Minecraft. The servers are fully funded by me—no desperate GoFundMe links, no “please buy a rank” guilt trips. I fund Aethro because I believe in what we’re building. That’s it.

Now, about this “paid mod” delusion that keeps floating around…

Every time I post that we’re “hiring” moderators, a few people crawl out of the woodwork demanding to know how much they’ll be paid. Some even whip out dictionary definitions of “hiring” like I’ve committed war crimes.

Let me save you the time:
Moderating a Minecraft server is not a job.
It’s a volunteer position in a community gaming environment. You help keep things running smoothly, welcome new players, squash trolls, and occasionally check logs. If your first thought is “how much money do I get for that?” you’re already the wrong person for the role.

And let me be crystal clear—yes, I said hiring. No, that does not mean paid employment. It means I’m bringing people into the team.
And yes, our team gets rewarded: they receive VIP status, special in-game perks, private staff channels, and decision-making power. They're part of something. But no—they’re not being cut a paycheck for logging a few hours a week and answering questions in chat.

Will I ever pay staff? Sure—if we grow and generate consistent revenue, absolutely. I’m not against paying people fairly when it makes sense. But I’m not running a charity, and I’m sure as hell not lighting money on fire just because someone thinks modding a server is worth $15/hour.

I’ve seen servers implode left and right because they tried to pay moderators before they could even cover hosting costs. It always ends the same: drama, ghosted staff, dead player base, and a pathetic “server for sale” listing on some back alley forum.

We don’t do that here.
We run lean. We run smart. We build with people who actually care.

So if the word hiring hurts your feelings, or if you’re clutching your Oxford dictionary like it’s a weapon—this ain’t the server for you. If you need cash to care about a Minecraft community, we’re already not speaking the same language.

But if you’re here for the long haul—if you want to help shape something real, work alongside a solid team, and earn trust, recognition, and community respect?

Then maybe you’re who we are hiring.

TL;DR:

• Aethro is a registered California company.

• Our servers are fully funded by stable personal income.

• We don’t rely on donations to survive.

• Modding is a volunteer role, not a job.

• You’ll get VIP perks, recognition, and decision-making power—not a paycheck.

• If we ever pay staff, it’ll be sustainable, not fantasy.

• Quoting the dictionary won’t change a damn thing.