Urbit was founded in 2013 by a team of developers led by Curtis Yarvin (who now goes by the name Mencius Moldbug), who is known for his work on the neoreactionary movement and his blog Unqualified Reservations. The project initially started as an experiment in decentralized computing, which aimed to create an infrastructure for running "personal servers" that would allow individuals to take ownership of their online identities and data.
Over time, Urbit has evolved into a more comprehensive platform that includes a programming language called Hoon, a new architecture for computer networking, and a decentralized operating system that is designed to be more secure and private than traditional systems.
While there has been some controversy surrounding the project's founder and his political views, the Urbit team has continued to focus on building out the platform and attracting developers who are interested in exploring the capabilities of decentralized computing.
Overall, Urbit is still considered a relatively new project in the cryptocurrency and blockchain space, but it has generated interest from a variety of communities that are interested in exploring the potential of decentralized computing and the future of the internet.