Rumours are swirling: The owners of Steemit have sold it to the Korean mega-corp Samsung.
I first heard this earlier today, then found this post by Kali.
It appears @haejin leaked the news to @Kaliju a month ago, who leaked it to the blockchain 2 days ago, and it was then confirmed by whales like @sircork.
Essentially, Samsung has purchased Steemit (not the Steem blockchain - just the main company and website for interacting with it). Supposedly @clayop arranged the deal, and @Ned (the previous owner) and most of the current staff are leaving.
I have no insider info, and I'm just reporting what I've seen and heard. But it does ring true, and would explain a few things, like:
- Why Ned fired most of the staff late last year.
- Why insiders are buying up STEEM over the past few days.
- Why the FAQ and intro page to Steemit finally just got updated.
- Why Ned a few days ago decided to power down and sell his STEEM.
- Why most of the buy volume is coming from Korea.
Is a major announcement just around the corner?
Or is the rumour false?
If Steemit has been sold to Samsung, what will it mean for the price of STEEM? In what ways will it affect the blockchain? Would Samsung want to develop Steemit, or shelf it? Are they buying Steemit to use it, or to prevent it from becoming competition, like eBay and FaceBook do to rival startups? Will censorship continue to rise on Steemit once its owned by a corporation? Will other front ends (like @Busy) benefit from people seeking another way to connect with the 'chain? Would a buyout be a good thing or bad thing overall for you?
Something's definitely going on. Either way, good luck to everybody!
DRutter
