Hugely popular entertainment website Reddit has announced the acquisition of Australian-made app Alien Blue and its software engineer Jason Morrissey.
The self-proclaimed “front page of the internet” hired its first ever Aussie after Alien Blue’s success as the preeminent iOS friendly Reddit browser.
“We are pleased to announce that the most popular iOS client for Reddit, Alien Blue, is now an official Reddit app,” the website blogged.
“We’re also happy to say that its lead developer, Jase Morrissey, has joined us as our first Aussie. We have been working closely with Jase for the past several years, and are thrilled to officially welcome him to our team.”
Alien Blue is set for some positive changes. The app has been republished in the iTunes App Store (meaning you will need to download the new version to receive future updates) and to celebrate the news Reddit are offering free ‘Pro upgrades’ instead of the usual $2 fee. A free iPad app is also being incorporated into the current iPhone service.
Reddit’s head of partnerships and strategic development Ellen Pao said transforming Alien Blue into an official iOS client was becoming too big a task for Morrissey alone.
“With Alien Blue and Jase, it was getting to a point where it was too much work for one person,” she said. “He was helping us, we were helping him and the fit was really strong.”
Morrissey discussed Alien Blue’s exciting future with Reddit and the website’s 114.5 million unique monthly users.
“Alien Blue and I have officially joined Reddit Inc,” he confirmed on Thursday. “I’ve grown pretty close to the admins over the past few years, and they’ve always treated me as a member of the team. Taking the next step to join them officially has been amazing, to say the least.
“With their help, I’m hoping to bring Alien Blue to the degree of polish and feature set that I genuinely struggled to achieve on my own. This application has so much potential, and I can’t wait to see it blossom alongside the help, care, and resources of these people,” he said.
Reddit recently announced a huge $50 million worth of funding, including contributions from celebrity investors Jared Leto and Snoop Dogg.
