Bebo is like a bad case of herpes – it just keeps coming back. They sold to AOL for $850 million in 2008. Then AOL, under new management, sort of just shut it down for tax purposes, selling it for next to nothing to Criterion Capital Partners. AOL CEO Tim Armstrong called the whole thing a huge distraction.
But if you think you’ve seen the last of Bebo, you’re wrong. A whole new team is in place, and with just 20 or so employees the site is profitable and growing with 6 millionish active users. So what next?
That’s exactly what I asked CTO Akash Garg today at Google Zeitgeist in Phoenix, Arizona. The interview is below.
How will Bebo carve out a place for itself in a Facebook world? Tagged seems to have done it by focusing on dating. Garg says the team is currently deciding what’s next. “Self expression, mobile and video will be strong components,” he says. But beyond that he won’t elaborate.
And when I asked if Bebo cofounder Michael Birch is involved with Bebo today, the answer was clear: “Michael Birch is not involved in any official way right now.” Is he involved unofficially? Watch below to find out.