My - admittedly - very cynical, and slightly crackpot theory is that tumblr internally knew they had problems with their business model, and either constructed

My - admittedly - very cynical, and slightly crackpot theory is that tumblr internally knew they had problems with their business model, and either constructed or took the opportunity of the app store failure to - very publicly - go through a transformation into a "family friendly" brand. A transformation that could enable pitching investors about entering some new more conservative markets, maybe entice some potential buyer, or give the management team a plausible scapegoat if the site had to shutter - the "I was forced to do" defense. Cynical as it is, the 180 degree shift from reportedly being very slow at child pornography takedowns to "family friendly" in this timeframe can not easily be explained without some amount of prior intent of some sort. Maybe it's only an opportunistic pivot, or last ditch effort, but it seems wholely too quick given their prior - at least perceived - slow rate of change. There's a lot if adult content that really needs to be allowed in general media sharing sites as the alternative is sources which oftwn care even less about removing illegal content. Thus sweeping bans as this risks increasing exposure, as we know people will seek out adult content.