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Thanks! We think so. :)

I want this, too. SmugMug (our other platform) supports them. So we already have the tech done (for a long time). I hope we add support on Flickr.

We’re allergic to ads. If I knew how to make Flickr work at its scale without ads even on free accounts, I’d do it.

Since I can’t figure it out (yet?), free accounts have ads and Pro don’t. As long as I’m running the show, that will remain true.

I'm too big of a nerd to let the RSS feeds, open APIs, etc go. :)

Alas, Flickr wouldn't even be alive if we hadn't increased the price ($$) and value (features) of Pro relative to things like intrusive ads on free accounts, etc. The very reason it's alive is because we have intrusive ads on free accounts, but no ads on Pro accounts, including for viewers. I don't expect that to change anytime soon.

We have some great plans to further increase Pro's value, but we disagree that Pro is too expensive. Relative to our peers, it's a bargain for unlimited storage, advertising free, etc etc.

Love to bounce future ideas off of you, and thanks for the article!

As far as I know, we haven't considered that, but it's a good idea. I'll noodle on it. Thanks!

Thanks! I get asked to write again frequently, but finding the time is tough. I'll see what I can do. :)

Thanks for the feedback and feature request. I don't hear this request often for Flickr, but it's a core and beloved feature on our other platform, SmugMug, which you might want to check out if you haven't.

Doesn't sound like us. When was this?

Can you elaborate on the markdown embed request? In which contexts would you want that?

Yes. Flickr was losing a ton of money (>$50M/year) when we bought it, and it's now cash flow positive and profitable. Not by a lot, alas, but the difference between $1 and $0 or less is the difference between life and death. Flickr is alive!

As I think the article captured pretty well, we could make a lot more money if we went the algorithmic-privacy-violating route, but we don't want to. So we aren't.

Since we never raised a round of funding, as long as the bills are getting paid, we can do what we want - build a company for the long-term based on a great photography community. So that's what we're doing. :)

Just finished reading. Glad they captured what we're doing - photography & community - and what we're not - algorithmic feeds & privacy violations.

We have lots of work to do, and I think most of the criticisms are fair and on our road map. Small team, working hard, listening to customers. Like we've been doing for 24 years. (We're bootstrapped and privately owned, never taken VC).

AMA.

Hey, owner & CEO here. Reading this now, but AMA.

Probably needs a (2010) label. Great article, though.