The Tumblr Mess

Published in Le Temps
(Switzerland) on 7 August 2016
by Anouch Seydtaghia (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Sophie Thresher. Edited by Helaine Schweitzer.
Yahoo has just significantly depreciated the value of the microblogging site.

The microblogging site proudly proclaims itself “Tumblr, Champion of Blogs” on its homepage.* It may well be a champion, but this champ is no longer worth anything. A few days ago, the Yahoo portal, which acquired Tumblr in 2013 for $1.1 million, has once again begun a massive devaluation of the site’s worth. On its accounts, Tumblr will be worth no more than $290 million, once its $482 million value has been wiped out; hence the impression that it is a waste of a site that was still popular when Yahoo acquired it, with a reported 550 million regular users today.

But this is where Yahoo, headed by Marissa Mayer, has the terrible reputation for sinking the companies it buys out. The website VentureBeat just listed 49 acquisitions by Yahoo’s managing director and there are few among them that have been successful since their absorption into the directionless company.

When Tumblr was bought out, its new owner reassured users that the website would remain unchanged. But Yahoo did not do anything to ensure rapid progress, while Snapchat and Facebook innovated very quickly. Tumblr only launched its live video post feature a few days ago, and has to come to terms with drawing upon Facebook’s advertising department. It is therefore unclear as to whether Tumblr will survive for long.

*Editor’s note: Although accurately translated, this quoted phrase could not be verified despite a search of Tumblr home pages.


Le gâchis Tumblr

Yahoo! vient de déprécier massivement la valeur du site de micro-blogging

«Tumblr, c’est le champion des blogs», affiche fièrement le site de micro-blogging sur sa page d’accueil. Un champion, peut-être, mais un champion qui ne vaut plus rien. Il y a quelques jours, le portail Yahoo!, qui avait acquis Tumblr en 2013 pour 1,1 milliard de dollars, a à nouveau procédé à une dépréciation massive du site. Dans ses comptes, Tumblr ne vaut plus que 290 millions de dollars après que 482 millions de valeur aient été à nouveau biffés. D’où une impression de gâchis pour un site encore populaire lorsque Yahoo! l’avait acquis. Il revendique aujourd’hui 550 millions d’utilisateurs réguliers.

Mais voilà, le groupe dirigé par Marissa Mayer a la terrible réputation d’assurer une destinée funeste aux sociétés qu’il rachète. Le site VentureBeat vient de lister les 49 acquisitions effectuées par la directrice de Yahoo!, et peu d’entre elles ont connu le succès depuis leur absorption dans un groupe qui se cherche toujours une direction.

Au moment du rachat de Tumblr, son nouveau propriétaire avait assuré qu’il ne le dénaturerait pas. Mais Yahoo! n’a surtout rien fait pour assurer son développement rapide, alors que Snapchat ou Facebook innovaient très rapidement. Tumblr n’a lancé ses services de diffusion de vidéo en direct qu’il y a quelques jours et a dû se résoudre à se baser sur la régie publicitaire de Facebook. Pas sûr, ainsi, que Tumblr survive encore longtemps.
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