Klout, a website that defined the unctuous early days of social media, used to rate you based on your online presence. In its heyday, a high Klout score could get you special privileges – maybe a free soda – and bragging rights at the Rosewood hotel, the literal Hotel California where VCs checked you into their funds and never let you leave.
Klout, a website that defined the unctuous early days of social media, used to rate you based on your online presence. In its heyday, a high Klout score could get you special privileges – maybe a free soda – and bragging rights at the Rosewood hotel, the literal Hotel California where VCs checked you into their funds and never let you leave. Now we know the secret to Klout’s success and it’s kind of dumb. Co-founder, Joe Fernandez, created the app in 2008 because he fell in love with Twitter during a period of recuperation after jaw surgery. The app rated your personal value based on your Twitter feed and turned it into way to sell marketing data, eventually signing deals with American Airlines and others to offer Klout Perks. In an effort to snag Twitter’s attention, he even set up shop in Twitter’s building in San Francisco. He sold the company in 2014 for $200 million and is now apparently working on something new, at least according to his Twitter feed.
