Orkut Founder Seeks User Support to Revive Social Network

Orkut founder Orkut Büyükkökten is seeking user support for a possible revival of the social network, more than a decade after Google shut it down.

In a post on X, Büyükkökten urged users to visit Orkut.com, register their support and invite others to do the same. He has not said whether a new version is already under development or whether it will launch.

A letter on the website criticized the direction of social media, including the growing influence of algorithms and artificial intelligence-generated content. Büyükkökten argued that online communities should focus on authentic people, direct connections and a sense of belonging.

Orkut began in 2004 as a side project Büyükkökten developed while he was at Google. The platform became especially popular in India and Brazil before losing ground to Facebook. Google shut it down in Sept. 2014.

Büyükkökten later launched Hello in 2016, a social network centered on shared interests. The service shut down in 2020 after attracting more than 2 million downloads worldwide, while Orkut had about 300 million active users.

In a 2022 note on Orkut.com, Büyükkökten said he was building something new. In 2024, he said he was working on a social network that would use artificial intelligence and machine learning to connect people and build communities. That platform has not launched.