The news the Yahoo is acquiring Tumblr for $1.1 billion has brought along its fair share of grumbling from the Tumblr community. Though Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer promised “not to screw it up,” Tumblr users are worried that Yahoo will march in and paint their beloved blogging platform purple – cleaning it up and making it more “family friendly” in the process.
If you are unfamiliar with Tumblr, know this: there is a lot of porn on Tumblr – artsy nude content, straight up porn, pretty much all colors of the NSFW rainbow. It makes up a significant part of the Tumblr landscape, and without it, Tumblr wouldn’t really be Tumblr. Some Tumblr users are concerned that Yahoo will waltz in and attempt to change all of that. Before the acquisition went official, some analysts worried that Tumblr’s NSFW underbelly would be an issue for the folks at Yahoo who were considering the deal.
But it wasn’t. Now that the acquisition is official, it’s looking like Yahoo is committed to keeping Tumblr running as is, and that the porn problem, well, isn’t really a problem. During her conference call to discuss the deal, Mayer had this to say when asked about all of the “not-brand-safe” content out there on Tumblr.
“The width and breadth of content on Tumblr is what’s exciting and has allowed it to reach more users.”
And when it comes to possible concerns from advertisers? Well, Mayer noted that Yahoo will just have to have good targeting. Mayer said that Yahoo is going to put more ads inside the Tumblr feed, so we know it’s coming. But Yahoo can pick and choose where they throw those ads, and can steer clear of any content that may concern potential clients.
“We promise not to screw it up. Tumblr is incredibly special and has a great thing going. We will operate Tumblr independently. David Karp will remain CEO. The product roadmap, their team, their wit and irreverence will all remain the same as will their mission to empower creators to make their best work and get it in front of the audience they deserve. Yahoo! will help Tumblr get even better, faster,” said Mayer in her announcement.
And in his, Tumblr CEO David Karp said that “before touching on how awesome this is, let me try to allay any concerns: We’re not turning purple. Our headquarters isn’t moving. Our team isn’t changing. Our roadmap isn’t changing. And our mission – to empower creators to make their best work and get it in front of the audience they deserve – certainly isn’t changing.”
That sounds like Yahoo is going to adopt a fairly hands-off approach to the Tumblr, and that’s good news for Tumblr users. Sure, people lie and things change, but as of right now it appears that Yahoo isn’t that concerned about all of those naughty parts on Tumblr. Carry on.