Orkut Founder Seeks to Revive Social Network

Orkut, the social networking platform that shut down over a decade ago, may be making a comeback as its founder, Orkut Büyükkökten, has called on users to help revive it with a focus on friendship, community, and human connection.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, Büyükkökten, 51, urged users to visit Orkut.com and add their names in support of bringing it back, as well as inviting others to join.

Orkut originally debuted in 2004 as a side project by Büyükkökten while he was at Google. The social network became hugely popular in India and Brazil but eventually lost ground to Facebook. Google shut it down in September 2014, shifting its focus to other platforms, including Google+ and YouTube.

In a letter published on Orkut.com, Büyükkökten criticized how social media has evolved over the past two decades, particularly the growing influence of algorithms and AI-generated content. "Artificial intelligence is extraordinary technology, but it’s dissolving the one premise that made social networking special and worth building: that there was a person on the other side," he wrote.

The founder expressed a desire to rebuild the internet as it was first loved, emphasizing authentic people, real connection, and genuine belonging. This is not the first time Büyükkökten has explored a return to social networking; in 2016, he launched another platform, Hello, focused on connecting people through shared interests. That platform shut down in 2020.