@historynerd34
2007 – Tumblr was launched by web designer David Karp alongside
developer Marco Arment. Karp’s interest in tumble logs on the internet
is what initially inspired him to generate a platform for the purpose of
tumble logging. Within two weeks of the launch, it hit 75,000 users. The
New York Times interviewed Karp and stated he produced Tumblr because he
“wanted to make something that wasn’t just another blog platform”. Karp
and Arment initially offered the site free of charge. However, they
began to charge for premium features to cover costs.
2010 – Marco Arment leaves the company to work on Instapaper.
2012 – Tumblr launches its first major brand advertising campaign
in collaboration with Adidas.
2013 – Tumblr was bought by Yahoo for $1.1 billion. Yahoo’s
intention with Tumblr was to give the declining company a fresh face and
provide it with a profitable revenue source. The deal caused
altercations among many of Tumblr’s users, causing them to create
petitions to protest it – raising 170,000 signatures.
2017 - Yahoo was acquired by Verizon Communications, which placed Tumblr as one of its subsidiaries.
Tumblr’s President and COO - Jeff D’Onofrio took over Tumblr, due to David Karp announcing his leave in November.
2018 - Tumblr banned all inappropriate and sexual content from the service, due to being removed off the Apple App Store, and this caused major backlash from its users.
2019 - Due to continuous struggles with Tumblr, Verizon sold off Tumblr to Automattic for less than $3 million.
