4chan founder Christopher Poole, aka Moot, has announced that he has joined Google, tasked with helping the tech giant to “[build] online communities”.
“Today I’m excited to announce that I’ve joined Google,” Poole wrote on his blog.
“When meeting with current and former Googlers, I continually find myself drawn to their intelligence, passion, and enthusiasm — as well as a universal desire to share it with others. I’m also impressed by Google’s commitment to enabling these same talented people to tackle some of the world’s most interesting and important problems.”
“I can’t wait to contribute my own experience from a dozen years of building online communities, and to begin the next chapter of my career at such an incredible company,” he added.
Last year, Poole sold 4chan to Hiroyuki Nishimura, the owner of 2channel, which served as the inspiration for the anonymous social site when Poole created it at the age of 15 back in 2003.
“Hiroyuki is a pioneer in the world of anonymous communities, and can be thought of as the great-grandfather of 4chan,” Poole wrote at the time. “His creation of 2channel in 1999 sparked an era of anonymous-centric web culture in Japan that led to the creation of Futaba Channel, the site that inspired 4chan. None of us would be using 4chan today—or potentially any anonymous image board—if it weren’t for him.”
Google has confirmed to Business Insider that Poole has joined the company, and will work directly under Bradley Horowitz, Vice President of Google Photos and Streams, the new division born from the ashes of Google+.
Image courtesy of Pando.
