Google to Shut Down Orkut on September 30, 2014

Posted on July 1, 2014

Google has announced that it will close its Orkut social network. The social network was launched by Google ten years ago in January 2004. Orkut had a bigger following overseas than it did in the U.S. Many in the U.S. may not even be familiar with it as it was overshadowed by Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

Paulo Golgher, Engineering Director for Google, says the company will be focusing its energy on YouTube, Blogger and Google+ instead of Orkut. Orkut will close on September 30, 2014. The social network is already closed to new accounts. The data is being archived and people can export their data and photos using Google Takeout. Google says the data will be available through September 2016.

Golgher says, "It's been a great 10 years, and we apologize to those still actively using the service. We hope people will find other online communities to spark more conversations and build even more connections for the next decade and beyond."