Alux began as a Tumblr blog about men’s style and expensive things, and Tumblr in 2026 is still alive, just smaller and run by a very different owner. The platform was bought by Yahoo for $1.1 billion in 2013 and sold for less than $3 million in 2019.
When we first wrote this post, we picked twelve personal blogs with a great vibe as a thank-you to the community that raised us. Those blogs belonged to private individuals, and most of them can no longer be checked: some pages now block automated visitors and at least one domain points somewhere else. So we are not republishing the list. Here is what is worth knowing about Tumblr instead.
It started with our own Tumblr blog, which focused mostly on men’s wear and expensive things. Today Alux is one of the fastest-growing luxury communities online, and it all began there.
| Year | Tumblr milestone |
|---|---|
| 2007 | Founded by David Karp; 75,000 users within two weeks |
| 2013 | Yahoo agrees to buy it for $1.1 billion |
| 2017 | Verizon takes over Yahoo; Karp leaves at year end |
| 2018 | Stricter content policy; traffic falls in the following months |
| 2019 | Sold to Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com, for under $3 million |
| 2024 | Move to a WordPress-based backend announced |
| 2026 | A change to how reblog notes work is rolled back within a day after user backlash |
What made Tumblr special
Tumblr was a community where people helped each other and nobody judged your taste. A blog was a mood board, and following someone for years felt like having a friend with a good eye. The best blogs shared three traits: a clean, minimalist theme, quality over quantity, and a recognisable point of view.
By May 2019 the platform hosted more than 465 million blogs, though only a fraction were active.
How to find great Tumblr blogs today
- Start with the tags you care about, such as menswear, interiors or architecture, and follow blogs that post consistently.
- Look for blogs with original or well-credited posts rather than endless reblogs.
- Check how often a blog updates. A great blog that has been quiet for years is an archive, not a feed.
- Support the people you follow: reblog, comment and credit them.
How we put this list together
We replaced our 2015 list of individual blogs with the platform’s history, because the individual pages could not be re-verified. The Tumblr facts come from public records of the company’s sales and product changes.
FAQ
What happened to Tumblr?
Yahoo bought it for $1.1 billion in 2013, Verizon inherited it in 2017, and Automattic acquired it in 2019 for under $3 million. It is still running in 2026.
Who owns Tumblr now?
Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com.
Did Alux start on Tumblr?
Yes. Alux began as a Tumblr blog focused mostly on men’s wear and expensive things.
Is Tumblr still worth using?
It remains a place for niche communities and personal mood boards, though its audience is smaller than at its peak.
How do I find good Tumblr blogs?
Follow tags for your interests, favour blogs that post original or well-credited content, and check that they still update.
Last updated: October 2026.
