The acquired email service 'Skiff' suddenly announced the termination of the service and was flooded with criticism, users were confused as the email address disappeared



Skiff , which developed a privacy-friendly encrypted email service, announced that it will be acquired by Notion , which provides multifunctional cloud tools. However, after the acquisition, the email service was not continued, and email addresses disappeared after just six months, and this was not properly explained to users, so Skiff's email was used as ID and contact information for various accounts. It is reported that there has been a flood of inquiries from users who used the address.

The Skiff Privacy Fiasco, or How not to Shutdown Your Startup
https://blog.notesnook.com/the-skiff-privacy-fiasco/

Encrypted email service Skiff gets acquired, will shut down in six months | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/02/encrypted-email-service-skiff-gets-acquired-will-shut-down-in-six-months/

Skiff's official X (formerly Twitter) account announced on February 10, 2024 that it will be absorbed into Notion.



However, a community note attached to this post says, 'This tweet and the linked press release fail to mention that all Skiff services will be discontinued and users will lose their data unless they choose to migrate to another service. As pointed out, there was little explanation of what would happen to Skiff's service in the future, causing anxiety and confusion among users.

For example, an ”, indicating that there was little information about future plans in the communication from the support team.



The home page of Skiff's official website has been replaced with an announcement about the acquisition, with a link at the bottom of the page that says ``Learn about data migration'' in small print.



Then, click on the first FAQ posted in this link and read about our mission, our next journey, and our epic mission to make all online lives more free and powerful. It's only after reading the fourth paragraph that users learn of the six-month transition period and subsequent closure of the service.



Regarding this response, IT news site Ars Technica said, ``By burying user guidance under self-congratulatory acquisition news, it appears that Skiff users have become a disposable afterthought.'' said.

In addition, Abdullah Atta, the lead developer of note-taking app Notesnook, wrote in a blog post analyzing the confusion that Skiff's announcement was filled with marketing terms and fancy phrases, with no consideration given to users. 'There is a deep gulf between the joy of Skiff and the disappointment and dissatisfaction of users. This is like smiling and joking at your neighbor whose house has burned down. I guess,' he commented.

Three days after the initial announcement, Skiff apologized and said, ``We apologize for the inconvenience. We have once again informed you that paid members can receive a refund. Additionally, the email forwarding service will continue for one year.



Skiff, which launched in 2022, has gained popularity as a highly secure email service featuring end-to-end encryption, and the number of users reached 2 million in November 2023. Although Skiff seems to have gotten off to a good start, it has been pointed out that there may have been a management impasse behind the acquisition by Notion.

Atta said, ``The most likely reason for Skiff's service termination is that it is no longer financially viable.Skiff has raised approximately $14 million (approximately 2.1 billion yen) in seed funding from venture capital. However, this means they are under external pressure to make a profit, and with Skiff's decision to shut down their service, it is clear that they have failed to deliver on that promise.' said.

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