Latest news with #KevinRose
TechCrunch
10 hours ago
- Business
- TechCrunch
Digg's founders explain how they're building a site for humans in the AI era
The rebooted version of social site Digg aims to bring back the spirit of the old web at a time when AI-generated content is threatening to overwhelm traditional social media platforms, drowning out the voices of real people. This presents an opportunity to build a social site for the AI era, where the people who create content and manage online communities are given a bigger stake in a platform's success, Digg's founders think. A Web 2.0-era news aggregation giant, Digg was once valued at $175 million at its height back in 2008 and is now being given new life under the direction of its original founder, Kevin Rose, and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. The two recently teamed up to announce a new vision for Digg, which will focus on enabling discovery and community, the way that the early internet once allowed for. Speaking at The Wall Street Journal's Future of Everything conference on Thursday, the founders offered more insight as to how they plan to accomplish that goal with the Digg reboot. Initially, the two touched on problems they encountered in the earlier days of social media, with Ohanian recalling how he chose to resign from Reddit's board over disagreements about the company's approach to hate speech that he felt was bad for society and the business. For instance, the company was allowing a forum on Reddit called 'r/WatchPeopleDie' to continue operating up until the Christchurch mass shooting, which caught the attention of the media, he said. It was only then that Reddit decided to adjust its policies around violence and gore on the platform. After Reddit, Ohanian went on to found venture capital firm Seven Seven Six, where he says he's focused on building businesses that are more 'values-aligned.' He said he sees Digg as another step in that direction. Techcrunch event Save now through June 4 for TechCrunch Sessions: AI Save $300 on your ticket to TC Sessions: AI—and get 50% off a second. Hear from leaders at OpenAI, Anthropic, Khosla Ventures, and more during a full day of expert insights, hands-on workshops, and high-impact networking. These low-rate deals disappear when the doors open on June 5. Exhibit at TechCrunch Sessions: AI Secure your spot at TC Sessions: AI and show 1,200+ decision-makers what you've built — without the big spend. Available through May 9 or while tables last. Berkeley, CA | REGISTER NOW Rose reflected on the early days of machine learning, where the technology was often used to reward posts on which people would rant about the 'most obscure, kind of fringe-y weirdness,' he said. 'Sometimes that can be good, but oftentimes it's pushing really weird agendas. And that's not even getting into the whole bot and AI side of things that are also pushing those agendas,' Rose said. With Digg, the founders want to create a new community focused on serving real people, not AI or bots, they said. Alexis Ohanian Image Credits:WSJ's Future of Everything conference 'I've long subscribed to the 'dead internet theory,'' Ohanian said, referencing the idea that much of what we see online is not created by actual humans, but bots. Ten years ago, this was more of a conspiracy theory, but with the rise of AI, that's changed, he said. 'Probably in the last few years — since we've blown past the Turing test — [the dead internet theory] is a very real thing.' 'I think the average person has no idea just how much of the content they consume on social media, if it's not an outright bot, is a human using AI in the loop to generate that content at scale, to manipulate and evade,' he added. To address the rise of bots, the founders are looking toward new technology, like zero-knowledge proofs (aka zk proofs), a protocol used in cryptography that could be used to prove that someone owns something on a platform. They're envisioning communities where admins could turn the dials, so to speak, to verify that a poster is human before allowing them to join the conversation. 'The world is going to be flooded with bots, with AI agents,' Rose pointed out, and that could infiltrate communities where people are trying to make genuine human connections. Something like this recently occurred on Reddit, where researchers secretly used AI bots to pose as real people on a forum to test how AI could influence human opinion. Image Credits:Digg 'We are going to live in a world where the vast, vast majority of the content we're seeing is in…some shape or form, AI-generated, and it is a terrible user experience if the reason you're coming to a place is for authentic human connection, and it's not with humans — or it's with people masquerading as humans,' Ohanian said. He explained that there are a number of ways that social sites could test to see if someone is a person. For instance, if someone has owned their device for a longer period of time, that could add more weight to their comment, he suggested. Rose said that the site could also offer different levels of service, based on how likely someone was to be human. If you signed up with a throw-away email address and used a VPN, for example, then maybe you would only be able to get recommendations or engage in some simpler ways. Or if you were anonymous and typed in a comment too quickly, the site could then ask you to take an extra step to prove your humanity — like verifying your phone number or even charging you a small fee if the number you provided was disposable, Rose said. 'There's going to be these tiers that we do, based on how you want to engage and interact with the actual network itself,' he confirmed. Image Credits:Digg However, the founders stressed they're not anti-AI. They expect to use AI to help in areas like site moderation, including de-escalating situations where someone starts to stir up trouble. In addition to verifying humans, the founders envision a service where moderators and creators financially benefit from their efforts. 'I do believe the days of unpaid moderation by the masses — doing all the heavy lifting to create massive, multi-million-person communities — has to go away. I think these people are putting in their life and soul into these communities, and for them not to be compensated in some way is ridiculous to me. And so we have to figure out a way to bring them along for the ride,' Rose said. As one example, he pointed to how Reddit trademarked the term 'WallStreetBets,' which is the name of one of the forums created by a Reddit user. Instead, Rose thinks a company should help creators like this who add value to a community, not try to take ownership of their work as Reddit did. With the combination of improved user experience and a model that empowers creators to monetize their work, the founders think Digg itself will benefit. 'I want to believe the business model that will make Digg successful is one that aligns all those stakeholders. And I think it is very, very possible,' Ohanian said.
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Digg founder Kevin Rose proposes to acquire Pocket from Mozilla: 'We love Pocket at Digg…'
Mozilla recently announced that is shutting down its book marking tool Pocket later this year. On the support page the company revealed that Pocket will go offline on July 8, 2025 as the company starts channeling its 'resources into projects' that better match users' browsing habits and online needs. Now, Digg, the Web 2.0-era link aggregator has shown interest in buying Pocket. Kevin Rose, the owner of Digg shared a post on X in which he said that he would he interested in buying Pocket from Mozilla. 'We love Poket at Digg' said Kevin Rose In a post shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) Rose said, '. @mozilla @Pocket -- we love Pocket at @digg , happy to take it over and continue to support your users for years to come! cc: @peterrojas :)' — kevinrose (@kevinrose) Both the companies have not yet shared any more details about this plan. Mozilla shutting down Pocket As mentioned earlier, Pocket will no longer be available after July 8, 2025. The company says that users can continue using the app and browser extensions until this date. After July 8, Pocket will move into export-only mode. This means that users will be able to export their saves until October 8, 2025, after which user data will be permanently deleted. In a support page, Mozilla said 'Pocket has helped millions save articles and discover stories worth reading. But the way people use the web has evolved, so we're channeling our resources into projects that better match their browsing habits and online needs'. 'We're grateful to the communities that made Pocket and Fakespot meaningful. As we wind them down, we're looking ahead to focusing on new Firefox features that people need most,' it further added. AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
TechCrunch
23-05-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
Digg founder Kevin Rose offers to buy Pocket from Mozilla
Digg, the Web 2.0-era link aggregator that's now being given a second chance at life, is open to buying Mozilla's read-it-later app, Pocket. On Thursday, Mozilla announced it would shut down Pocket on July 8, saying that the way people use the web has evolved, and it needed to focus on new areas of development. Shortly after, Kevin Rose, Digg's original owner, now co-founder of the new Digg alongside Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, posted on X that his company would be interested in acquiring Pocket from Mozilla. Tagging both Mozilla and Pocket on the post, Rose wrote, 'We love Pocket at Digg, happy to take it over and continue to support your users for years to come.' The post additionally tagged Betaworks founding partner Peter Rojas, previously the founder of Gizmodo and Engadget. .@mozilla @Pocket — we love Pocket at @digg, happy to take it over and continue to support your users for years to come! cc: @peterrojas :) — Kevin Rose (@kevinrose) May 22, 2025 Neither Digg nor Mozilla has yet to respond to a request for comment on the news. However, the deal could be interesting if it went through, as Digg could leverage Pocket's existing user base to fuel interest in its relaunch. Digg could potentially even integrate Pocket's reading list with Digg, making it easier for users to find and share engaging content directly to the news aggregator. This could provide an initial pipeline for feeding news and articles into Digg while it worked to grow its user base. Digg's comeback has attracted attention, as it pairs Digg's original founder, Rose, with Ohanian, who helped create the longtime Digg competitor, Reddit, now an internet giant of its own. Digg recently announced it has also brought on Christian Selig, the founder of the third-party Reddit app Apollo, as an adviser. Selig's Apollo app had been one of the best ways to interact with Reddit, but the company cut off the app's access by raising its API pricing to the point that it would have put Selig out of business.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Apollo for Reddit dev Christian Selig to join Digg as an advisor
Christian Selig, the iOS developer who ran the beloved third-party Reddit client Apollo, is joining the new iteration of Digg as an advisor. Earlier this year, Digg's original founder Kevin Rose and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian acquired what was left of Digg in an attempt to revitalize what was formerly known as "the internet's homepage." Rose and Ohanian were already a fascinating pairing -- the two had previously seen each other as rivals, since Digg and Reddit were fierce competitors. By adding Selig to the mix, Rose and Ohanian are further signaling that the new Digg wants to shake things up. Selig played a prominent role in the backlash against Reddit's increased API pricing in 2023, which made free apps like Apollo -- which offered an enhanced browsing experience for Reddit users -- impossible to run. In a Reddit post that went viral, Selig told users that in order to keep Apollo running as-is under the new API pricing, he would need to pay about $1.7 million per month. Needless to say, Apollo shut down, much to the Reddit community's disappointment. "We're excited to have Selig bring that same craft and community-first thinking to Digg, helping us build something that feels good to use and even better to be a part of," said Digg CEO Justin Mezzell in a statement. Digg is embarking on a quest to make the social internet feel fun again, as opposed to its current state, where AI shrimp Jesus and other artificially generated slop have taken over our feeds. But Digg isn't quite ready to open to the public just yet. Last month, Digg opened signups for an early-access program that it's calling "Groundbreakers," which asks for a one-time $5 fee to keep bots out. (The proceeds from the program are being donated to nonprofits chosen by the Digg community.) In the announcement of Selig's role, Mezzell included a cheeky reference to the API drama at Reddit. 'I simply won't comment on that. We're charting our own course here at Digg," Mezzell said. "But if I did comment, I would probably say '[redact] me sideways, what a fumble.' But that would only be if I did say something publicly.' This article originally appeared on TechCrunch at Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Christian Selig, Founder of Reddit iOS App Apollo, Teams Up With The Internet's Original Troublemakers, Kevin Rose & Alexis Ohanian, To Advise On Digg's Mobile and Developer Strategy
Download hi-res images HERE. LOS ANGELES, May 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Digg made a new friend. He's very good at apps. Christian Selig, the developer behind the now-defunct and deeply mourned Apollo app for Reddit, is joining Digg as an advisor, marking a major step in the platform's reinvention alongside internet pioneers Kevin Rose (yes, that Kevin, the guy who originally launched a raccoon Digg from his apartment), and Alexis Ohanian (yep, that Alexis, Co-founder of Reddit and, for a while, Kevin's internet arch-nemesis). Digg, the news aggregation platform once billed as the internet's homepage, is getting a reboot and the new leadership team is looking to bring back the good vibes of the old internet. Digg is saying it loud and clear: community, builders, and moderators, we're here for you and we want to do the right thing. The public beta launches in the coming weeks. In 2023, Selig famously posted the bombshell: "Had a call with Reddit to discuss pricing. Bad news for third-party apps, their announced pricing is close to Twitter's pricing, and Apollo would have to pay Reddit $20 million per year to keep running as-is." Apollo, the app millions actually loved using, was priced out of existence. Rose recently said in an off-the-record interview: "Yeah, it was a total [redacted]-show. What in the flying [redacted] was Reddit thinking? These folks, the unpaid labor force, are the lifeblood of their community, they should always be the priority. This is off-the-record, right?" Digg CEO Justin Mezzell chimes in: "We're excited to have Selig bring that same craft and community-first thinking to Digg, helping us build something that feels good to use and even better to be a part of." When pressed on the Apollo/Reddit drama, Mezzell said in a publicly recorded interview: "I simply won't comment on that. We're charting our own course here at Digg. But if I did comment, I would probably say '[redact] me sideways, what a fumble.' But that would only be if I did say something publicly." In March 2025, Rose and Ohanian announced they were teaming up to bring Digg back into the spotlight. The goal: make the internet fun again, or at the very least, less exhausting. A month later, Digg launched an early-access community called Groundbreakers, giving members first dibs on usernames, early influence on product development, and a peek behind the curtain as Digg rebuilds from the feed up. Joining Groundbreakers cost a one-time $5 fee, not for exclusivity, but as a quick humanity check. Proceeds went to nonprofits chosen by the community itself, including The Nature Conservancy, Thorn, and The cover charge kept the bots out and proved the company does, in fact, give a damn. Christian Selig is one of the first to join Digg's small group of advisors. Also announced last week on Diggnation, Jaci Hays has joined as an advisor. More names are on the way. Digg's Board of Directors includes Justin Mezzell (CEO), Kevin Rose (Founder/Chairman of Digg and Partner, True Ventures), Alexis Ohanian (Founder, Seven Seven Six), and Tony Conrad (Partner, True Ventures). Strong internet energy, well-contained. ABOUT DIGGDigg, the revolutionary social news platform founded in 2004, helped define the early internet by introducing user-powered content curation through upvotes and community-driven discussion. At its peak, Digg attracted tens of millions of users and shaped the Web 2.0 era. In 2025, Digg relaunched, backed by OG founder Kevin Rose and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, with CEO Justin Mezzell at the helm. The revived platform aims to use the very best of technology, including AI, to bring humanity back to the internet by fostering the spirit of discovery and genuine community that made the early web a fun and exciting place to be. Media Contacts:Chelsey Northern / The Untoldcn@ Alana Battaglia / The Untoldab@ View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Digg Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
