Automattic (Wordpress.com) has purchased Tumblr

https://poststatus.com/automattic-has-purchased-tumblr/

😮

Automattic, WordPress.com owner, acquires Tumblr

Automattic, the makers of WordPress.com, purchased Tumblr from Verizon for ~$3 million, compared to the staggering $1.1 billion Yahoo! paid.

Post Status
"Mr. Mullenweg said his company intends to maintain the existing policy that bans adult content"

@Gargron Matt's quote is important context: "Adult content is not our forte either, and it creates a huge number of potential issues with app stores, payment providers, trust and safety… it’s a problem area best suited for companies fully dedicated to creating a great experience there. I personally have very liberal views on these things, but supporting adult content as a business is very different.”

My take: while not a rescue for that community, this is overall good for Tumblr and the web.

@Gargron Matt's a good egg. We were in the same gang of geeky friends at the start of the century, and while we haven't stayed close, everything I know says he remains a decent human. He was certainly quietly kind and supportive with my big migration to Wordpress.com from Typepad (3500+ posts & over 8000 media files, which his team helped me move). And Automattic does a lot of really important legal work for the web (including amicus briefs).
@metagrrrl @Gargron good is a strong term for it. More like "the stance has gone from hostile to apathetic".
@Calpsotoma My “overall good” refers to the acquisition not to the adult content community.