Digg founder teams up with former Reddit rival to buy and revive website
Content aggregator Digg is making a comeback thanks to a partnership with rival and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.
Content aggregator Digg is making a comeback with the help of an unlikely partner: Reddit co-founder and rival Alexis Ohanian.
Ohanian and Digg founder Kevin Rose acquired the platform for an undisclosed sum. The deal is backed by venture capital firms True Ventures, where Rose is a partner, and Ohanian's Seven Seven Six. The partnership was announced Wednesday in a video post to the company's X account in which Rose called the partnership a "team-up he would have never imagined 20 years ago."
Digg was founded in 2004 and rose to prominence as a major outlet for trending news because it allowed users to rate stories. Rose made what became an infamously goofy appearance on the cover of Businessweek in 2006 as the kid who "made $60 million in 18 months."
The company said in a release that it aims to differentiate itself in the social media market by "focusing on AI innovations designed to enhance the user experience and build a human-centered alternative." Digg said it will also create a platform that "prioritizes transparency, rewards human effort, and fosters enriching discussions."
Ohanian also teased the collaboration, telling X followers on Wednesday that he was "working on something new... but also old... but also very new" and is "excited" to be partnering with Rose.