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Gateway Biographies
David Karp: The Mastermind Behind Tumblr
What's more popular than Tumblr? This microblogging site has taken the Web by storm since its founding in 2007. Not much can top it when it comes to capturing its fans' imaginations, except for perhaps its creator, David Karp.
Karp developed Tumblr after he tried to start a blog and found the process daunting. With most platforms, a blogger faces a huge, empty text box that begs to be filled with words. It was intimidating for a guy who'd never blogged before. Karp had the idea for tumblelogging―creating short blog posts―and built Tumblr as a platform. It lets users easily post both text and images, making Tumblr highly visual and expressive.
Creating a different way to blog came naturally to Karp, who never does things by the book. At fifteen, he dropped out of school. At seventeen, he moved to Tokyo, holing up with a computer and fine-tuning his tech skills. He returned to the states to build a business―but to do that, he stretched the truth. He used a deep voice on the phone with potential clients so they wouldn't guess how young he was. He didn't tell anyone how little experience he had. Yet people could see he had a good thing going with Tumblr. The company quickly found support and grew into what it is a groundbreaking site for connection and creation. And as the mastermind behind it, Karp is sure to remain a figure to watch.
Karp developed Tumblr after he tried to start a blog and found the process daunting. With most platforms, a blogger faces a huge, empty text box that begs to be filled with words. It was intimidating for a guy who'd never blogged before. Karp had the idea for tumblelogging―creating short blog posts―and built Tumblr as a platform. It lets users easily post both text and images, making Tumblr highly visual and expressive.
Creating a different way to blog came naturally to Karp, who never does things by the book. At fifteen, he dropped out of school. At seventeen, he moved to Tokyo, holing up with a computer and fine-tuning his tech skills. He returned to the states to build a business―but to do that, he stretched the truth. He used a deep voice on the phone with potential clients so they wouldn't guess how young he was. He didn't tell anyone how little experience he had. Yet people could see he had a good thing going with Tumblr. The company quickly found support and grew into what it is a groundbreaking site for connection and creation. And as the mastermind behind it, Karp is sure to remain a figure to watch.
48 pages, Library Binding
First published December 28, 2012
About the author
Karen Latchana Kenney
339 books33 followersKaren Latchana Kenney is an Indian-Irish children’s author, born near the equator in Guyana, and raised far north in Minnesota. Her debut picture book SNOW STEPS launched in November 2024 and was a 2025 Minnesota Book Awards Finalist and a 2025 Pedro and Daniel Intersectionality Book Award Finalist.
She writes both fiction and nonfiction stories about immigrant and biracial experiences, scientific discoveries, momentous historical events, and civil rights struggles. Her newest YA nonfiction book, FASCINATING FUNGI, launches in October 2025 from Lerner Publishing. Kirkus gave it a starred review, saying it is "An extraordinarily well-researched, well-presented, and visually appealing book on a fascinating subject."
Her other children's books have received several starred reviews and have been named a 2023 Mathical Book Prize Honor, and a YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers.
She lives in Minnetonka, Minnesota, with her family, where they explore all the wild places they can find.
She writes both fiction and nonfiction stories about immigrant and biracial experiences, scientific discoveries, momentous historical events, and civil rights struggles. Her newest YA nonfiction book, FASCINATING FUNGI, launches in October 2025 from Lerner Publishing. Kirkus gave it a starred review, saying it is "An extraordinarily well-researched, well-presented, and visually appealing book on a fascinating subject."
Her other children's books have received several starred reviews and have been named a 2023 Mathical Book Prize Honor, and a YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers.
She lives in Minnetonka, Minnesota, with her family, where they explore all the wild places they can find.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 3, 2019
I enjoyed it, it was not long enough to be a real book. More like an article.
July 22, 2013
In an age when everyone has at least five email addresses and many people have a personal blogs, some applications and websites continue to outshine all the others. Tumblr is right up there with Facebook and Microsoft in name recognition, at least among those familiar with coding. Even as a child, David Karp, Tumblr’s founder, showed amazing talent. He worked as an intern at the age of fourteen and had his first real job at sixteen. Today, with over 50 billion entries, Tumblr has grown into a major force on the internet.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews