Secret’s anonymous sharing is coming back as a response to Trump
Secret’s air-your-dirty-laundry service collapsed about as quickly as it rose to prominence, but it looks like it’s poised for a comeback thanks to the new political climate. Co-creator David Byttow has vowed that “Secret V2” is on the way as an explicit answer to Donald Trump winning the US election — “it’s too important not to exist,” he says. In a chat with our friends at TechCrunch, he paints it as a way to both encourage authenticity and bridge political divides. The US can’t “heal and work together” if people aren’t comfortable being themselves and aren’t self-aware, Byttow argues. This wouldn’t be a simple matter of turning the servers back on and re-releasing the apps, though.
The developer won’t actually create the new Secret himself, to begin with. He’s currently running an enterprise startup, Bold, and would hire a new team that operates under his watch. Also, Byttow wants to be cautious this time around, avoiding the mistakes that plagued Secret in its brief original existence. He’ll consult with many other people to make sure it’s done well.
Version 2 could be a long time in coming. Byttow doesn’t have a timetable, and he won’t be leaning on venture capital to build the new app. This isn’t a profit-making endeavor, he stresses — if there are any profits, they’ll go directly to good causes. Still, the revival is good news for anyone who saw Secret as a tool for promoting free speech and healthy discussion, not just a rumor mill.
(12)
