Kevin Rose, founder of Digg, has partnered with Alexis Ohanian, co-founder of Reddit and former competitor, to repurchase the once-popular social platform. Their plan involves leveraging AI technology in an effort to revitalize its prominence.

Digg was initially lauded as "the homepage," a space where users could post links that would be either “dugg” (similar to PTT’s “push”) or “buried” (akin to PTT's “boo”), influencing their visibility; at its peak, the platform boasted 40 million monthly visitors. Kevin Rose generated $60 million in revenue within just eighteen months of launching Digg.

However, as social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter gained traction—offering more interactive features such as comments and shares without a “bury” function—Digg’s traffic declined significantly. In 2012, Betaworks acquired the platform, effectively marking its exit from the scene; LinkedIn later purchased some of Digg's valuable patents.

Rose’s return is largely driven by advancements in AI development. He and Ohanian aim to utilize this technology to combat misinformation and harmful speech. The new version of Digg will launch within weeks into a competitive social media market.

Founded in 2004 at the age of twenty-seven, Kevin Rose launched Digg, which quickly became an internet sensation thanks largely to its user-voting model that revolutionized online behavior. However, the rise of platforms like Facebook and Twitter contributed to Digg's decline by offering more interactive features—such as comments and shares—without a “bury” function, making content engagement easier for users. Competition from similar products, including Reddit, also presented challenges.

Digg experienced a sharp drop in monthly visitors; January 2010 saw 29 million visits compared to drastically fewer by May of the same year. Meanwhile, Reddit’s visitor numbers grew steadily and surpassed Digg's in December 2012.

Steve Huffman, co-founder of Reddit, attributes part of Digg’s downfall to user loyalty issues as well as changes that removed core functionalities. Kevin Rose acknowledges his past mistakes during an interview with *The Wall Street Journal*, admitting he was too slow to react and made hasty updates that ultimately mirrored the strategies employed by emerging social media platforms.

Despite these setbacks, Rose believes there is still potential for Digg’s comeback. With growing concerns over toxic content on major networks like Facebook and Instagram, he sees an opportunity for AI technology to filter out harmful information. This shared perspective has brought him together with his former rival Alexis Ohanian, who also envisions utilizing AI.

Reddit itself is actively integrating artificial intelligence; the company acquired Swedish content moderation startup Oterlu in 2022 and announced plans for its own conversational interface 'Reddit Answers' powered by OpenAI. It’s clear that Reddit is serious about incorporating this technology into their platform. Rose and Ohanian believe AI can handle mundane tasks like filtering spam or removing harmful content, allowing human moderators to focus on fostering positive interactions and maximizing the role of community managers.

Whether Digg's return will be a nostalgic nod to an old era or bring something fresh and exciting remains to be seen.
(Translated from 創業小聚)