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Here\u2019s a blast from the past: Digg<\/a>, one of the web\u2019s early news aggregators, is now back under the ownership of original founder Kevin Rose<\/a>. Notably, he\u2019s joined as co-owner by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian<\/a> (both pictured above).<\/p>\n Digg and Reddit were once fierce rivals in the online social news aggregation space, launching within a year of each other some two decades ago. The two platforms enjoyed similar trajectories in the intervening years, going through various owners and spin-offs. But Reddit\u2019s endurance has been most notable, as the company finally went public last year in a bumper IPO<\/a> and its user-growth has continued upwards<\/a> in the following months. <\/p>\n Digg, for its part, hasn\u2019t stood the test of time quite so well. The company was split into parts in 2012<\/a> and sold to incubator Betaworks<\/a>, with LinkedIn and the Washington Post acquiring some of the assets. Digg later raised a strategic round of funding<\/a> from USA Today owner Gannett, before landing in the hands of digital advertising company<\/a> BuySellAds which acquired a majority stake in 2018. <\/p>\n Digg never soared to the same heights as Reddit, which is why Rose and Ohanian have now joined forces to \u201crevive\u201d the platform with a \u201cfresh vision to restore the spirit of discovery and genuine community that made the early web a fun and exciting place to be,\u201d according to a press release<\/a> issued today.<\/p>\n Rose says that he has been approached \u201cat various times\u201d through the years with a view toward buying Digg, noting that it never felt like the right time. <\/p>\n So why now? It\u2019s a combination of reasons, according to Rose, who says that the existing social media landscape has become toxic, messy, and riddled with misinformation \u2014 with AI well-placed to address that. <\/p>\n \u201cJust recently we\u2019ve hit an inflection point where AI can become a helpful co-pilot to users and moderators, not replacing human conversation, but rather augmenting it, allowing users to dig deeper, while at the same time removing a lot of the repetitive burden for community moderators,\u201d Rose said.<\/p>\n Ohanian, for his part, has dipped in and out of Reddit through the years, originally leaving in 2009<\/a> before returning as chairman<\/a> in 2014 and then stepping down from the board<\/a> altogether in 2020. And just this week, Ohanian joined Frank McCourt\u2019s bid<\/a> to buy TikTok\u2019s U.S. business. <\/p>\n \u201cOnline communities thrive when there\u2019s a balance between technology and human judgment,\u201d Ohanian said. \u201cWe\u2019re bringing Digg back to ensure that balance exists. Kevin and I are here to build something better than what social platforms are offering today. AI should handle the grunt work in the background while humans focus on what they do best: building real connections.\u201d<\/p>\n Both Rose and Ohanian have invested in other companies through the years, as individuals and through institutional funds. This experience has now intersected, with True Ventures, which counts Rose as a partner; and Ohanian-founded<\/a> Seven Seven Six investing in Digg. <\/p>\n While Rose will serve as Digg chairperson and advisor, and Ohanian will sit on the board, the new incarnation will be led by CEO Justin Mezzell<\/a>, a \u201clongtime collaborator\u201d of Kevin Rose and \u201cseasoned product design leader,\u201d according to the press release..<\/p>\n A new version of the Digg platform is touted for launch soon, with invites being rolled out in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nA \u2018fresh vision\u2019<\/h2>\n