Is anyone working on/want to work on alternative internet tools/platforms?
In what sense?
I guess any sense. New things would be interesting to see people doing.
Or it could be things to make a better internet, which means things that people don't currently have in their hands.
I've been following the development and proliferation of SCION: https://www.scion.org/. Seems pretty cool.
Look up Named Data Networking or Content-centric Networking. I think it's an extremely interesting space that is sadly sort of obscure.