Orkut founder launches campaign to revive the network; 2.7 lakh sign up

Orkut Büyükkökten, the engineer who created the Orkut social network, has started a public campaign to bring it back. In a post on X on Thursday, October 8, 2026, he asked people to visit Orkut.com, add their names in support of a revival and invite their friends. The website now carries an open letter in which he criticises how social media has changed over the past two decades, especially the growing role of algorithms and AI-generated content. By October 9, reports put the number of sign-ups at more than 2.66 lakh, with a later count of about 2.73 lakh across 125 countries. He has not said whether a new version is being built or when, or whether, it would launch.

For many Indians who came online in the late 2000s, Orkut was their first social network. India and Brazil were its two biggest markets. In 2014, Brazil made up about 55.5 per cent of Orkut's traffic and India about 18.4 per cent. Facebook overtook it in India in 2010, and in Brazil in 2012.

The revival campaign is landing at a moment when many young users say modern feeds feel tiring. Timelines are increasingly decided by recommendation systems rather than by who you follow, and AI-generated posts and videos are becoming common. Büyükkökten's letter speaks directly to that frustration. The quick pace of sign-ups suggests the message strikes a chord, at least as nostalgia.

It is important to keep expectations realistic. A petition is not a product. Büyükkökten has tried this before: after Orkut he launched a network called Hello in 2016, built around shared interests. It drew more than two million downloads worldwide but closed in 2020, a long way from Orkut's peak of about 300 million users. He has also described an AI-based network in the past that never launched. Building a new social platform today means competing with giants that already hold users' friends, photos and habits.

For young Indians, the bigger point is the debate the campaign reopens: what people actually want from social media. Smaller, friend-first spaces, group chats and interest communities are already where many people spend their time. Whether or not Orkut returns, the demand it is testing is real.

Short-term: Expect a wave of nostalgia posts and sign-ups on Orkut.com. Nothing changes for users yet, because there is no app or service to join, only a list of supporters.

Long-term: If the founder turns the response into a real product, it will need to prove it can keep people without the engagement tricks it criticises. If it does not launch, the campaign will still add to pressure on existing platforms to offer calmer, more chronological and less AI-heavy feeds.

Who is affected: Former Orkut users in India and Brazil, young people tired of algorithm-driven feeds, and creators and brands watching for any new platform where early audiences might gather.

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