
Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com, acquired Tumblr in 2019 for $3 million. This acquisition marked a significant shift in the blogging landscape.
The acquisition was met with both excitement and skepticism from the blogging community, with some users expressing concerns about the future of the platform.
As Automattic began integrating Tumblr with WordPress, they introduced a new feature that allowed users to import their WordPress content onto Tumblr. This move was seen as a way to bring the two platforms closer together.
In 2020, Automattic announced that it would be discontinuing the Tumblr app for iOS and Android, citing a need to focus on the web version of the platform.
Tumblr Acquisition
Automattic's acquisition of Tumblr was a strategic move to tap into its strong engagement metrics, with more daily active users than WordPress.com has monthly active users.
Automattic saw an opportunity to integrate Tumblr's creative community with WordPress's robust platform, aiming to foster innovation and enhance the user experience on both platforms.
The acquisition was driven by Automattic's long-time appreciation for Tumblr's fun and vibrant culture, which CEO Matt Mullenweg plans to maintain and nurture.
Automattic acquired Tumblr from Verizon in August 2019, bringing over 200 Tumblr employees into the company.
This deal marked Automattic's largest acquisition in terms of both price and headcount, a significant milestone for the company.
The exact amount paid for Tumblr was not disclosed, but it's widely reported to be less than $3 million, a stark contrast to the $1.1 billion Yahoo paid for it in 2013.
This valuation reflects the challenges Tumblr faced in maintaining its user base and monetization strategies under previous ownerships.
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Acquisition Details
Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com, acquired Tumblr in August 2019 for approximately $3 million.
The acquisition was a strategic move to expand WordPress's user base and offerings, particularly among younger generations.
Tumblr had been struggling financially, with declining revenue and user engagement.
As part of the acquisition, Automattic promised to maintain Tumblr's independence and autonomy, allowing the platform to continue operating under its own brand and leadership.
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Tumblr to WordPress
Automattic's acquisition of Tumblr was driven by several strategic reasons, including Tumblr's strong engagement metrics and the potential for integrating Tumblr's creative community with WordPress's robust platform.
Tumblr hosts more than half a billion blogs, making it one of the largest migration projects ever undertaken. Automattic plans to migrate all of these existing Tumblr websites to WordPress.
The migration started when Automattic acquired Tumblr in 2019 for under $20 million, a significant drop-off from Yahoo's $1.1 billion acquisition in 2013. Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg had already hinted at the end goal of migrating Tumblr to WordPress.
The migration will be about migrating the backend of Tumblr to WordPress, not changing the user experience. Automattic reassured that "the changes will be exclusively at the backend", and users won't notice a difference from the outside.
Automattic is actively looking for experienced programmers to help with the move, especially those with strong PHP knowledge.
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WordPress Integration
Automattic's plan to migrate Tumblr to WordPress is a massive undertaking, with over half a billion blogs to move.
The migration will occur on the back end, with changes not being evident on the front end. Automattic's goal is to keep Tumblr's streamlined posting experience and product direction intact.
The move will allow Tumblr users to tap into WordPress's expansive functionality, which can help with monetization. WordPress offers more revenue models than Tumblr, including subscriptions, ads, and digital goods.
Automattic is actively looking for experienced programmers to help with the move, especially those with strong PHP knowledge. If you think you're up for the challenge, you can check out the dedicated application form to learn more and submit yourself for consideration.
By running Tumblr's backend on WordPress, Automattic aims to benefit from the differences and strengths of both platforms.
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Data and Blog Migration
Automattic is planning to migrate over 500 million Tumblr blogs to WordPress, which will be one of the largest migration projects ever undertaken.
The migration started when Automattic acquired Tumblr in 2019 for under $20 million, a significant drop from Yahoo's $1.1 billion acquisition in 2013.
Automattic will run Tumblr's backend on WordPress, without changing the frontend, and users won't notice a difference.
Migrating 500 Million Tumblr Blogs to WordPress
Automattic is planning to migrate over 500 million Tumblr blogs to WordPress, which is one of the largest migration projects ever undertaken.
The migration started after Automattic acquired Tumblr in 2019 for under $20 million, a relatively small sum compared to the $1.1 billion Yahoo paid for it in 2013.
Matt Mullenweg, Automattic's CEO, had hinted at migrating Tumblr to WordPress back in 2019, recognizing WordPress as an open source web operating system that can power pretty much anything.
The migration is currently focused on moving the backend of Tumblr to WordPress, with Automattic assuring that the frontend will remain unchanged and that users won't notice a difference.
This means that the streamlined posting experience and product direction of Tumblr will be preserved, and users can continue to enjoy their favorite features without interruption.
Automattic is actively looking for experienced programmers to help with the migration, especially those with strong PHP knowledge, to ensure a smooth transition.
Sell Blog Data
Automattic plans to sell data from blogs hosted on WordPress.com and Tumblr. This move has sparked controversy and raised questions about data privacy and user consent.
The company is in talks with AI companies Midjourney and OpenAI to provide training data scraped from users' posts published on WordPress.com and Tumblr. Deals between Automattic and these AI companies are reportedly "imminent."
Automattic has already scraped an "initial data dump" containing all Tumblr's public post content between 2014 and 2023. This data includes content that wouldn't be publicly visible on blogs, raising serious concerns about user privacy.
You must opt-out of data sharing if you don't want your information to be sold. This means you need to learn about the option, find it in your control panel, and deactivate it.
Blogs hosted outside of WordPress.com that use Jetpack or WooCommerce are not initially considered in the data sale. However, it's recommended to stay vigilant about changes in their policies and consider alternatives.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Automattic the same as WordPress?
Automattic is the company behind WordPress.com, but it is not the same as WordPress, which is a free, open-source software used to create websites and blogs. Automattic is the commercial entity that hosts and supports WordPress.com, offering a range of features and services to users.
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