Tumblr, a flailing social media web site from a bygone period, could also be run by a skeleton crew to any extent further. An alleged inner memo from mother or father firm Automattic has made the rounds on social platforms (together with Threads), stating it has “not gotten the anticipated outcomes from our effort.” The choice seems to mark a pointy U-turn from a separate leak this summer season, claiming Automattic was constructing a TikTok-like algorithmic feed into the getting old web site.
Though this doesn’t fairly seem like the top of the highway for Tumblr, the notice doesn’t sound promising for the platform’s future. It says “the vast majority of the 139 folks” will swap to different Automattic tasks, leaving a barebones gang of Belief & Security and assist employees to supervise Tumblr’s smoldering embers. Given what number of brutal layoffs we’ve seen this yr, dealing with the transition in a means that avoids job losses could possibly be a silver lining.
Automattic, the corporate behind the running a blog instrument WordPress, acquired Tumblr in 2019 from Verizon, which landed the platform by means of its buy of Yahoo! (Engadget’s mother or father firm) in 2017. It probably didn’t assist that its possession become a sport of musical chairs, and none of them appeared to search out the suitable formulation to get the microblogging community again on its ft. (Its controversial ban on grownup content material probably had one thing to do with that.)
“We’re on the level the place after 600+ person-years of effort put into Tumblr for the reason that acquisition in 2019, we’ve got not gotten the anticipated outcomes from our effort, which was to have its income and utilization above its earlier peaks,” the alleged memo reads. After throwing in cliches about climbing mountains and being higher to try to fail than to not strive in any respect, the notice claims the staff’s subsequent step is to “mirror and determine the place else we must always focus our power collectively.”
Engadget reached out to Automattic for remark and affirmation however didn’t instantly obtain a response. We’ll replace this text if we hear again.
Along with WordPress, Automattic’s different manufacturers embody the journaling app Day One, the e-commerce plugin WooCommerce, Gravatar and the note-taking app SimpleNote.