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From Unicorn to Underdog—and Back Again? A Critical Sociology of Tumblr’s $1.1B-to-$3M Valuation Swing and the Political Economy of Platforms
Author: Habib Ali ORCID iD: 0009-0008-9023-6098 Affiliation: Swiss International University (SIU) Received 10 July 2025; Revised 25 August 2025; Accepted 1 September 2025; Available online 28 October 2025; Version of Record 28 October 2025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.65326/u7y566742 Volume 2, December 2025, (10019) Abstract This article offers a critical-sociological analysis of Tumblr’s dramatic valuation shift—from a $1.1 billion acquisition in 2013 to a resale reportedly arou
16 min read
From Platform Promise to Strategic Decline: Tumblr as a Case Study in Digital Platform Valuation and Governance
Author: Ling Zhang Affiliation: SDBS Swiss Distance Business School ORCID iD: 0009-0006-7478-5551 Received 10 January 2025; Revised 18 February 2025; Accepted 8 March 2025; Available online 25 March 2025; Version of Record 25 March 2025. Volume 2, December 2025, (10012) https://doi.org/10.65326/u7y566812 Abstract Yahoo bought Tumblr for $1.1 billion in 2013 and sold it to Automattic in 2019 for less than $3 million, a reduction of something like two orders of magnitude in six
19 min read
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