Madison, Wisconsin-based Typepad, a provider of online blogging services, is shuttering its iconic platform and recommending a migration to another platform.
Preferably, one owned by its acquiring company, Jacksonville, Florida-based Newfold Digital, one of the largest providers in the web hosting industry.
There are very few employees involved, primarily in customer service/support desk operations and platform maintenance, who are likely to be employed by the acquiring entity.
The company has a long and troubled financial history, having been the subject of financial engineering between venture capitalists and larger platform operators.
Sometimes, Rumors and Suspicions are True
Sometimes a business doesn’t suddenly collapse because of bad luck or a sudden twist of fate—it unravels because the rumors were right all along.
Whispers, or even published reports, about multiple owners, shaky finances, questionable leadership decisions, toxic workplace cultures, decrepit technology, financial maneuvering by venture capitalists, or business decisions to let a former "cash cow" business die often surface long before the doors actually shut.
While many users, vendors, and employees dismiss these suspicions as idle gossip, they can sometimes be early warning signs of deeper problems hidden beneath the surface.
When the truth finally comes out in the form of layoffs, bankruptcy, sudden closures, or discontinued platforms, employees, customers, and investors alike realize that the red flags were never just smoke—they were signals of the fire already burning inside.
Typepad had been signaling the closure of its platform since 2020, when it stopped taking new customers to its aging platform. Neither did they seem to mount an active or aggressive attempt to migrate existing customers to the newer platform of their acquiring company. It was up to the customer to tend his own garden.
Once again, proving vigilance and skepticism by all stakeholders is prudent.
Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life, nor promises of a bright future. We see good people being laid off through no fault of their own. Just because something terrible hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, at any time, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. While many employees can read the writing on the wall, why do most assume it’s targeted at someone else? Are you now wondering, Am I Next?