Chatroulette definitely had its moment: the site was on everyone’s lips for a few months in 2010, before its pornographic material outweighed its fun novelty and users left in droves. But founder Andrey Ternovskiy is still trying to turn Chatroulette into a viable business — and he’s doing it by taking advantage of the site’s proclivity for nudity. Ternovskiy told Fast Company that even though the site is much cleaner and more controlled now, he doesn’t mind the nudity that persists. Why? Because the estimated 50,000 men who come to the site to strip every day are being sent to sites like FriendFinder.com, and Chatroulette’s affiliate cut is exceeding $100,000 per month. Ternovskiy certainly has a lot to prove before Chatroulette’s offended former users will come back, but it looks like that’s not high on the company’s concerns anymore. Hit the source for the full interview, which we promise is safe for work — Chatroulette, we’re not convinced just yet.
Chatroulette cleans up its act, turns its NSFW users into cash
Chatroulette is making a comeback, but for a site so intent on removing nudity its business model is awfully reliant on people’s naked tendencies.
Chatroulette is making a comeback, but for a site so intent on removing nudity its business model is awfully reliant on people’s naked tendencies.
is editor-at-large and Vergecast co-host with over a decade of experience covering consumer tech. Previously, at Protocol, The Wall Street Journal, and Wired.
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