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Orkut founder seeks support to revive the network
Orkut Büyükkökten is calling on internet users to support the return of his social network. TechCrunch reports the initiative, but neither a launch nor actual development of a new version has been confirmed.
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Orkut Büyükkökten wants to mobilize his social network's former users. According to TechCrunch, the founder posted an appeal on X on Thursday asking people to visit Orkut.com, sign up with their names to support the platform's return and invite others to participate. This initiative establishes that he is seeking support, without confirming the availability of a new service.
In a letter published on the site, he criticizes the evolution of social networks, particularly the influence of algorithms and AI-generated content. He advocates a project focused on human relationships and communities. This position expresses a direction; it does not describe the technical mechanisms that would make it possible to put it into practice.
Orkut began in 2004 as Büyükkökten's side project at Google. The network enjoyed particular success in India and Brazil before Google shut it down in September 2014. Its founder subsequently launched Hello in 2016, a network organized around shared interests, which closed in 2020.
TechCrunch specifies that Büyükkökten has not indicated whether a new version of Orkut is already in development or whether it will actually launch. At this stage, the focus is therefore on mobilizing a community. It would be premature to view this as an operational service or a proven solution to the problems he attributes to today's social networks.