When Bobby and I started working on Snapchat almost ten years ago, we focused on building something different. 

At the time, social media platforms were trying to connect as many people as possible, encouraging them to build up massive followings and broadcast content to the whole world. Rather than sharing their full range of emotion, most of our friends felt a pressure to perform, and shared maybe one percent of our experience. We posted the times we looked great, traveled, major life moments, etc. Bobby and I felt that was really limiting because the other ninety-nine percent of our lives forms the basis of our close relationships and connections. 

With Snapchat, we designed the technology around humans, not the other way around. We built Snapchat to give people a way to express their full experience, with their real friends. It’s why we made Snaps delete-by-default -- before social media, friends didn’t keep a permanent transcript of every conversation they had.

When we rolled out Snapchat, we started hearing incredible stories from people starting to send Snaps back and forth to stay in touch with friends, feeling much more free to communicate and express themselves. 

In the decade since those first conversations, we have worked hard to design products and technology that nurture and support humanity and foster real friendships. We designed a service around an expressive camera, not a newsfeed, with no public comments.

Our company has changed a lot, but our products have stayed true to these original ideas. Every day we think about how to put our community first, particularly as we all endured a year where our friends and loved ones were forced to connect virtually in creative and safe ways.

This is why I am excited to introduce our first Safety & Impact Blog. This is a place to explain our safety- and privacy-by design efforts, and explore new ideas in this space. We look forward to creating something new and helpful, and to incorporating your feedback as we go. 

Evan