YouTube Competitor StoryFire Shuts Down…Big Tech Monopoly Just Gets Stronger

It’s a sad day for fans of alt-tech or really just any real option outside of YouTube.

It is with a heavy heart that I must announce, StoryFire has been unable to secure financing.

After struggling for many years to financially bootstrap the platform myself, I can no longer sustain it.

As of February 1st, 2021, the StoryFire platform will be shutting down. 💔

— Jesse Ridgway (@McJuggerNuggets) January 24, 2021

According to Wikipedia:

StoryFire was a video-sharing and storytelling service founded in 2017 by Brian Spitz and Jesse Ridgway.

StoryFire allowed content creators to upload and share videos and written stories. Unlike YouTube, uploads are curated and the site imposes slightly more quality control. The platform aims to compete with YouTube.

The website will cease operations on February 1, 2021 and the app has been taken off of both the App Store and Play Store, according to a video statement by Ridgway.