Flickr sold to SmugMug
The popular photo-sharing site Flickr has been sold by Verizon to SmugMug. Terms were not disclosed.
”[This deal] will create the most influential photography community in the world.”
—SmugMug
SmugMug is an independent, family-run company, launched in 2002 and owned by father and son Chris and Don MacAskill, based in Mountain View, California (source).
”I don’t know what the future holds. This is a new model for me. We certainly think we need to operate it with an eye to our cash flow and our profitability. We are going to have to take a detailed look at the business and make sure it’s growing and healthy.”
— Don MacAskill, SmugMug CEO, April 20, 2018
Flickr timeline
- 2004: Created as part of a videogame by Ludicorp, a Vancouver-based company founded by now husband-and-wife team Stewart Butterfield and Caterina Fake.
- 2005: Bought by Yahoo for about $35 million (along with Ludicorp).
- 2007: Yahoo Photos merged with Flickr
- 2008: Butterfield and Fake resign
- 2011: 6 billion images hosted
- 2013: 87 million registered members and more than 3.5 million new images uploaded daily, according to The Verge.
- 2016: Bought by Verizon along with Yahoo’s core Internet business
- 2018: Bought by SmugMug