Twitter's decision to close its video sharing service Vine has been met with regret from one of the founders just as adult entertainment site Pornhub launched a tongue-in-cheek acquisition bid for the platform.
Vine founder Rus Yusupov, who left his company in 2015, took to Twitter (of course) to express his disappointment in the social media firm's decision to kill Vine – the product it bought in 2012 for a reported $30 million.
Twitter made the decision to discontinue Vine after the company reported an increase in its monthly active user growth in the third-quarter but said it would shed 9 percent of its workforce as it looks to cut costs and focus on its live-streaming offerings.
Vine has built up a big fanbase with many stars being born on the six-second video sharing app. Those Vine stars took to Twitter to express their disappointment.
Twitter said in a blog post on Thursday that nothing was happening to the Vine app or website right away and the users would still be able to access and download the videos.
"What's next? We'll be working closely with creators to make sure your questions are answered and will work hard to do this the right way," Twitter said.
Pornhub makes joke bid
Twitter's decision was an ideal opportunity for adult video site Pornhub to also launch its latest marketing stunt – something it is well-known for. Pornhub launched a fake bid to buy Vine from Twitter.
"We figure since Twitter has dropped (Vine) and is having significant layoffs, that you and your stakeholders could benefit from a cash infusion from the sale of Vine. Not to mention we would be saving Vine gems like 'Damn Daniel,' 'Awkward Puppets' and many more," Pornhub vice president Corey Price wrote in a letter to Twitter chief executive Jack Dorsey, given to tech website CNET.
Pornhub said it would "restore Vine to Its NSFW glory," adding that clips "of porn in six seconds is more than enough time for most people to enjoy themselves."