Tumblr’s Karp Vows to Protect Platform Even As Yahoo Ramps Up Ad Biz
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Tumblr founder David Karp and Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer have a delicate balancing act ahead of them: Assure devout Tumblr users that their beloved platform won’t change, while convincing Wall Street that their union will be a lucrative one.
Highlighting how important it is to maintain the Tumblr experience, Yahoo made an outright pledge “not to screw it up” in the press release announcing the $1.1 billion acquisition. Further, the 26-year-old Mr. Karp — who will be $275 million richer once the deal closes — will stay put as CEO, and Tumblr will function as a separate business unit.
While Mr. Karp and Ms. Mayer are adamant that Tumblr will continue on its own roadmap, they also say that its ad business will be spurred along with the help of Yahoo’s sales organization — which is 2,500 people strong, compared to Tumblr’s existing 25, per Ms. Mayer — and that Yahoo will introduce new native ad units to the platform.
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