Giphy

Giphy is a developer of an animated graphics interchange format (GIF) platform designed to create short-form entertainment and visual communication. The platform offers users a search engine where users can find GIFs from thousands of artists, brands, and pop culture moments that users can post, embed, share, and create their own images. The platform is integrated into thousands of platforms, including iMessage, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, Tinder, Slack, and WhatsApp. It has a daily user reach of more than 700 million.

Giphy was founded in 2013 by Alex Chung, who had decided to develop a database of GIFs that could be used in place of words to express feelings. The database was acquired by Meta Inc. in May of 2020 for a reported $400 million and was to be integrated into its Instagram and Messenger platforms. However, following potential antitrust violations, the companies were ordered to operate as separate businesses, and the acquisition deal was blocked before the U.K Government ordered Meta to sell Giphy in April of 2023. Meta sold Giphy to Shutterstock for an estimated $260 million loss.