Post by Jordan Running. File upload and content sharing service Drop.io announced today that “most of [its] technology and assets” have been purchased by Facebook and that CEO and Founder Sam Lessin will moving shop to the social networking giant. A Facebook rep confirmed what it called “small talent acquisition,” saying, “We’re thrilled that Sam Lessin will be joining us.”
As of today Drop.io has ceased uploads of new “drops” for free accounts, and has laid out a timeline for shuttering the rest of its services.
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Free users will be able to access their old content until November 15 and paying customers will have full capabilities until that date, and will be able to download their content until December 15. It will also cease taking payments on the 15th of November. The company did not mention any kind of bulk download or export options, so users are likely stuck downloading their files one at a time, and “no data will be transferred to Facebook.” As for apps that make use of Drop.io’s APIs, those services “will stay online for a longer period before the company winds down.”
Lessin and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg were Harvard classmates, according to David Kirkpatrick’s book The Facebook Effect, with Lessin introducing Zuckerberg to venture capitalists and media executives in 2004 according to LA Times. Neither Drop.io nor Facebook has mentioned if there’s anything in the works for the other eight employees listed on the Drop.io Team page.
While Drop.io had some solid competition including Dropbox and Box.net, its feature set, which included live chat, collaborative documents, and even fax support, was somewhat unique. Whether Facebook will bring any of Drop.io’s technology into its own products or if the acquisition is solely about Lessin himself remains to be seen.
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