Twitter is dumping Vine, the six-second video app which launched millions of pop culture references and memes. The Vine app will no longer be updated and the service will discontinue.
It comes as Twitter Australia’s MD Karen Stocks announced she was leaving the company, with Suzy Nicoletti to take on the role of country manager.
Vine was founded by Dom Hofmann, Rus Yusupov, and Colin Kroll in June 2012. The company was acquired by Twitter in October 2012 for a reported $30 million. Two of the founders- Yusupove and Hofmann- tweeted their disappointment:
Don’t sell your company!
— Rus (@rus) October 27, 2016
busting out the bourbon
— dom hofmann (@dhof) October 27, 2016
A post on blogging website Medium from Twitter and Team Vine said:
Since 2013, millions of people have turned to Vine to laugh at loops and see creativity unfold. Today, we are sharing the news that in the coming months we’ll be discontinuing the mobile app.
Nothing is happening to the apps, website or your Vines today. We value you, your Vines, and are going to do this the right way. You’ll be able to access and download your Vines. We’ll be keeping the website online because we think it’s important to still be able to watch all the incredible Vines that have been made. You will be notified before we make any changes to the app or website.
Thank you. Thank you. To all the creators out there — thank you for taking a chance on this app back in the day. To the many team members over the years who made this what it was — thank you for your contributions. And of course, thank you to all of those who came to watch and laugh every day.
What’s next? We’ll be working closely with creators to make sure your questions are answered and will work hard to do this the right way. We’ll be sharing more details on this blog and our Twitter account, and will notify you through the app when we start to change things.
Here’s the best of Vine:
