Product or service · Communication and community
Orkut, the Google social network that became Brazilian (2004–2014)
Orkut was Google's first social network, created as an experimental project by the engineer it was named after, Orkut Büyükkökten. Launched in January 2004, it admitted new members only by invitation. Brazilians became the majority within months, and the service ended up being run from Brazil until it closed in September 2014.
The official farewell post has no image of its own.
January 22, 2004
Orkut
Product or service · Communication and community · Discontinued
History
The launch on January 22, 2004 was low-key, and joining required an invitation from someone already on the network. By July 2004, according to a Reuters report summarized by Slashdot, Orkut had more than 769,000 members: about 41% were Brazilian and 23.5% American, and Brazilians had outnumbered Americans for the first time in June. English-speaking users complained about communities taken over by posts in Portuguese. Researcher Suely Fragoso studied these clashes, which became known as the Brazilian Invasion, in a 2006 article.
In 2008 Google moved the team responsible for the service to Minas Gerais, Brazil. Its lead in Brazil lasted until December 2011, when Facebook overtook Orkut in the country with 36.1 million unique visitors against 34.4 million, according to comScore. On June 30, 2014 Google announced Orkut's end, and it went offline on September 30 that year. Public communities were preserved in an archive, and users could export profiles, messages and photos until 2016.
Dates
What the sources say
| Claim | Record | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Origin | Experimental project by engineer Orkut Büyükkökten; Google's first social network | 2 · Single primary source | [3] primary |
| Invitation-only | Yes, in its early years | 1 · Confirmed by independent sources | [4] secondary[1] secondary |
| Brazilians in July 2004 | About 41% of more than 769,000 members; the largest group since June | 3 · Secondary source | [4] secondary |
| Run from Brazil | From 2008, with the team in Minas Gerais | 3 · Secondary source | [1] secondary |
| Facebook overtakes Orkut in Brazil | December 2011: 36.1 million vs. 34.4 million unique visitors | 2 · Single primary source | [5] primary |
| Closure | Announced 06/30/2014; offline 09/30/2014, with an archive of public communities | 1 · Confirmed by independent sources | [3] primary[1] secondary |
| Academic study | Clashes between Brazilians and Americans analyzed by Suely Fragoso (2006) Interpretation | 3 · Secondary source | [6] secondary |
Historical captures
- 2015-10-07
Original address: http://orkut.google.com/en.html
Open the archived version on the Internet Archive
Cited by a third party; not yet checked by the museum ([2])
Shows the community archive after the closure, not Orkut while it was running.
Sources
- A história do Orkut: rede social já foi a favorita do Brasil — Ricardo Syozi — Canaltech, June 9, 2024. Source secondary · accessed November 2, 2026 · in Portuguese · look for a copy on the Internet Archive
- Orkut — Wikipedia. Source map (encyclopedia) · accessed November 2, 2026 · look for a copy on the Internet Archive
- Adeus ao Orkut — Paulo Golgher — Google Brazil Blog, June 30, 2014. Source primary · accessed November 2, 2026 · in Portuguese · look for a copy on the Internet Archive
- Language Tempest at Orkut (summary of a Reuters report) — Slashdot, July 17, 2004. Source secondary · accessed November 2, 2026 · look for a copy on the Internet Archive
- Facebook Blasts into Top Position in Brazilian Social Networking Market Following Year of Tremendous Growth — comScore, January 17, 2012. Source primary · accessed November 2, 2026 · look for a copy on the Internet Archive
- Eu odeio quem odeia... Considerações sobre o comportamento dos usuários brasileiros na 'tomada' do Orkut — Suely Fragoso — E-Compós, 2006. Source secondary · accessed November 2, 2026 · in Portuguese · look for a copy on the Internet Archive
What still needs documenting
- Captures of Orkut in 2004 and at its peak, around 2008
- Official announcement of the 2008 move to Brazil
- Peak number of Brazilian users
On GD
GD has followed Google since 2006. Search GD for “Orkut” (in Portuguese)
How to cite
"Orkut, the Google social network that became Brazilian (2004–2014)", Google Museum (GD), https://gd.eurisko.com.br/museu/en/collection/orkut/, CC BY 4.0. Reviewed on November 2, 2026.
ID: orkut · Reviewed on November 2, 2026