Orkut, the popular social networking site of the 2000s, could be making a comeback. Founder Orkut Buyukkokten on Thursday sought support from internet users to revive the platform, with a renewed focus on friendship, community and genuine human connections.
In a post on X, Buyukkokten urged users to support his initiative, writing, "The internet should help us find our people. Friendship. Community. A place to belong. Help me bring Orkut back in that spirit. Add your name at https://orkut.com and share your supporter card with someone you want to bring along."
The internet should help us find our people. Friendship. Community. A place to belong. Help me bring Orkut back in that spirit. Add your name at https://t.co/FO48fJMjEq and share your supporter card with someone you want to bring along. Love, Orkut https://t.co/zesE18Y3Fd
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— Orkut Buyukkokten (@orkut) October 8, 2026
On Orkut's official website, Buyukkokten shared an open letter explaining why he wants to revive the social networking platform. He criticised how social media has evolved over the past two decades, arguing that platforms have increasingly prioritised user engagement over meaningful connections. However, the founder did not share any launch date yet.
"I've been quiet for a while, but I need to talk to you. What I've worked on my whole life has become more urgent than I ever imagined. Over two decades ago, I created some of the earliest social networks. I have watched with you as social media has gone wrong," he wrote.
Orkut Founder Calls For A More Human Internet
Recalling the early days of the internet, Buyukkokten said online interactions once offered the excitement of connecting with people across the world.
"Do you remember when the internet was human? When a message from a stranger on another continent felt like magic? Another person had reached across the world to share a small piece of themselves. Maybe the connection lasted only a moment, but it was thrilling because it was real," he added.
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The Orkut founder also criticised social media platforms for designing feeds around engagement rather than genuine relationships. "What happened? Twenty years spent optimizing for your attention. Feeds built around engagement, not connection. A generation of kids surrendered to algorithms that addicted them, divided them, and sold them to advertisers. No surprise that they grew up lonely and anxious," he wrote.
Buyukkokten further expressed concern about the growing role of artificial intelligence in online interactions, saying it could undermine the human connection that made social networking meaningful.
"I still love this industry, but I despair at what it has become. Move fast and break things, so the slogan went. Well, things are broken. And now the machines have arrived. Artificial intelligence is extraordinary technology, but it's dissolving the one premise that made social networking special and worth building: that there was a person on the other side," he added.
Orkut Founder Asks Users To Sign Petition For Revival
As part of the comeback initiative, Buyukkokten has asked users to sign up on the official website and show their support for the proposed social network. "Adding your name says you want Orkut to create a new social network focused on authentic people, real connection, and genuine belonging," the website stated.
More than 255,000 people had signed the petition at the time of writing.
Buyukkokten also encouraged supporters to invite friends and share their supporter cards to help build a community around the initiative. "I'm asking you to join the movement. Go to orkut.com and add your name. Then, think of one person you want there with you, and send them your supporter card. Tell them why you thought of them. Remind them why you care," he wrote.
Emphasising the importance of real relationships in an increasingly technology-driven world, he concluded, "An algorithm can't make life worth living. But a friend can. A community can. So, let's stop optimizing for attention and start optimizing for each other. Let's make the internet human again together!"
Orkut was an early social networking service owned and operated by Google and created by Google engineer Orkut Buyukkokten. Launched in January 2004, the platform became particularly popular in countries such as India and Brazil, where users connected through profiles, communities, testimonials and friend networks. Despite its popularity, Google shut down Orkut in September 2014, as other social networking sites like Facebook and Instagram started getting more popular.
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