Tumblr is Downscaling After Failing To 'Turn Around' the Site

Tumblr is downscaling its ambitions after failing to reach goals for a new audience, aiming to move some staff members to other divisions of parent company Automattic. From a report: A leaked memo, which circulated on Tumblr and was confirmed in a Verge comment by Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg, says that 'the majority' of Tumblr's non-support, safety, and moderation staff will 'switch to other divisions.' In follow-up posts on Tumblr, Mullenweg stated that Automattic is planning 'a more focused approach in 2024,' including an emphasis on the 'core functionality' of the site.

It describes implementing a backup plan to 'reflect and decide where else we should concentrate our energy together' without laying off staff from Automattic -- which also operates the WordPress.com and WordPress VIP hosting services. 'This plan is happening now.' That involves transferring the majority of 139 people on a team identified as covering product development, marketing, and other tasks outside support, moderation, and security.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.