"Color.io will be winding down over the coming weeks and the online service will fully shut down on December 31, 2025. Until then, everything will continue to run as usual, and Pro users will receive access to a downloadable offline version they can keep using indefinitely... I want to be transparent about why this is happening. Color.io isn’t shutting down because it's struggling. But after 10+ years of running everything alone, I’ve reached a point where I need to grow in ways that aren’t possible as a solo builder. I have an opportunity to work alongside a company whose products have shaped and inspired me, to work on creative tooling at a scale I could never reach on my own. This is an opportunity to work with people I admire, on tools that will reach far beyond what I could build alone."
I'm not a customer, I've never heard of color.io before. It looks like a professional product, and appears to have an audience. So I'm curious about why the owner isn't selling it or open-sourcing it. I appreciate the transparency in the post, but it seems an odd decision. I'm sure it's more complicated than I'm imagining.
Any more detail? Is color.io a competitor to the owner's new opportunity?
Pixelmator always felt like it was built by Apple even before they touched it. That absorption felt more like a formality than an acquisition and the product has pretty much stayed exactly the same since.
Colo.io is different, mostly because it's a web app which is already a strike given Apple's allergy to anything on the open web. Also it was made by one person so would be a low-cost acquihire that neutralizes a potential competitor outside of their walled garden. Founder walks with a few mil plus a senior role and the web loses another good tool. Net win for Apple, arguably for the founder and a net loss for the web ecosystem. Business as usual.
Selling a business usually entails a lot of energy and time. Selling at arm’s length always involves a lot of uncertainty.
And with a successful product the owner has certainly received offers and will have an informed opinion about the type of people likely to buy and the offers that would kick off negotiations…there is a reasonable chance the owner has explored selling already.
So my guess is that shutting down and treating existing customers very well using a download is the best thing for actual customers (unconverted users are not customers).
Or to put it simply, doing right by customers might not be practical in any probable sale.
It isn't clear to me if the apps are being shut down: it says the website and online service. That could mean that the stand-alone and mobile apps can continue to generate revenue. But the 'Pro downloadable to use indefinitely' suggests that these apps will also be removed from respective stores.
So the founder is going to work at a company they want to work at, and I’m guessing as part of the hiring agreement he had to wind down his activities on or shut down the project…
For his sake I hope he doesn’t end up regretting it when the job isn’t as rewarding as he thought, or he gets laid off after a few months and doesn’t have a project to go back to.
I don’t have enough context to really judge I am sure, but this is a story that happens often enough for me to already think he’s making a massive mistake.
I don't think this is the full story. 99% sure there's either a brand acquisition or tech licensing of some sort involved that he's not allowed to talk about...
Nothing in the explanation said no further work on the project was intended. It said the online service will go down, and they are joining a larger company. Could very well be that the acquisition of the codebase is part of the deal, and it will be integrated into the products of the new employer. In short, an acquihire.
From the link:
"Color.io will be winding down over the coming weeks and the online service will fully shut down on December 31, 2025. Until then, everything will continue to run as usual, and Pro users will receive access to a downloadable offline version they can keep using indefinitely... I want to be transparent about why this is happening. Color.io isn’t shutting down because it's struggling. But after 10+ years of running everything alone, I’ve reached a point where I need to grow in ways that aren’t possible as a solo builder. I have an opportunity to work alongside a company whose products have shaped and inspired me, to work on creative tooling at a scale I could never reach on my own. This is an opportunity to work with people I admire, on tools that will reach far beyond what I could build alone."
I'm not a customer, I've never heard of color.io before. It looks like a professional product, and appears to have an audience. So I'm curious about why the owner isn't selling it or open-sourcing it. I appreciate the transparency in the post, but it seems an odd decision. I'm sure it's more complicated than I'm imagining.
Any more detail? Is color.io a competitor to the owner's new opportunity?
Acquihire + NDA. Happens all the time. My top guess is Adobe, maybe Apple.
I think apple was more open in the past like with pixelmator? But maybe only after a delay.
Pixelmator always felt like it was built by Apple even before they touched it. That absorption felt more like a formality than an acquisition and the product has pretty much stayed exactly the same since.
Colo.io is different, mostly because it's a web app which is already a strike given Apple's allergy to anything on the open web. Also it was made by one person so would be a low-cost acquihire that neutralizes a potential competitor outside of their walled garden. Founder walks with a few mil plus a senior role and the web loses another good tool. Net win for Apple, arguably for the founder and a net loss for the web ecosystem. Business as usual.
Selling a business usually entails a lot of energy and time. Selling at arm’s length always involves a lot of uncertainty.
And with a successful product the owner has certainly received offers and will have an informed opinion about the type of people likely to buy and the offers that would kick off negotiations…there is a reasonable chance the owner has explored selling already.
So my guess is that shutting down and treating existing customers very well using a download is the best thing for actual customers (unconverted users are not customers).
Or to put it simply, doing right by customers might not be practical in any probable sale.
It isn't clear to me if the apps are being shut down: it says the website and online service. That could mean that the stand-alone and mobile apps can continue to generate revenue. But the 'Pro downloadable to use indefinitely' suggests that these apps will also be removed from respective stores.
afaik color.io has no apps on any appstore, just a web app which is basically an installable website.
The color.io website lists iOS, iPadOS, and Android alongside Windows and Mac. I don't know what to make of that, but it's curious.
Apple? Anyway congratulations.
Source: https://www.color.io/about
So the founder is going to work at a company they want to work at, and I’m guessing as part of the hiring agreement he had to wind down his activities on or shut down the project…
For his sake I hope he doesn’t end up regretting it when the job isn’t as rewarding as he thought, or he gets laid off after a few months and doesn’t have a project to go back to.
I don’t have enough context to really judge I am sure, but this is a story that happens often enough for me to already think he’s making a massive mistake.
I don't think this is the full story. 99% sure there's either a brand acquisition or tech licensing of some sort involved that he's not allowed to talk about...
Hm... Why not to sell it or give to the community, if there is no intension in further work on the project?
Nothing in the explanation said no further work on the project was intended. It said the online service will go down, and they are joining a larger company. Could very well be that the acquisition of the codebase is part of the deal, and it will be integrated into the products of the new employer. In short, an acquihire.
My first thought was the same. Someone in HN would probably love to buy it and solo run it.