In the wild, wacky world of tech acquisitions, the tale of Yahoo and Tumblr is one for the books—think of it as a fairy tale gone slightly awry. First, let’s set the stage: in 2017, Verizon swooped in and acquired Yahoo, making them the new custodian of Tumblr. You know, that colorful, chaotic corner of the Internet filled with cat memes, fan fiction, and a substantial amount of GIFs!
One might think this was sunshine and rainbows for Tumblr users. But, lo and behold, Verizon didn’t exactly have the magic touch. Instead of turning Tumblr into the next big thing, they fizzled out like a soda left open overnight. The problem? Verizon’s focus was more on their telecom empire than on nurturing the quirks of the creative platform. Tumblr saw a significant drop in ad revenue and users started losing interest faster than a cat chasing a laser pointer. Not the fairy tale ending we expected, right?
Fast forward to August 2019, and here comes Automattic, the genius behind WordPress, who looked at Tumblr and thought, “Hey, I can do something with that!” They arrived like a knight in shining armor (or at least semi-shiny) to acquire Tumblr for the ridiculously low price of $3 million. Yes, you read that right—$3 million! That’s less than a primetime TV spot or some overpriced avocado toast!
Now, Automattic promised to infuse Tumblr with proper love and care, focusing on community and creativity rather than mindless profits. They’ve worked to keep the platform vibrant, with new features and better policies. So, the moral of the story? Never underestimate the power of a second chance—especially when it comes at a bargain price! Grab your snacks, sit back, and watch as the epic saga of Tumblr continues under its latest caretakers. Here’s hoping they know how to keep the GIF party alive!
