According to Inc, Kevin Rose and Alexis Ohanian bought Digg earlier this year with plans to revive the once-dominant link-sharing platform that was worth $160 million in 2008 before users fled to Reddit. Anne Wojcicki’s 23andMe, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in March 2025 after a 2023 hacking incident exposed data of Ashkenazi Jews, was bought back by her nonprofit TTAM for $305 million in June, with Wojcicki immediately resuming as CEO. Tyler Haney returned to Outdoor Voices in July after leaving five years ago, now as partial owner while running her loyalty platform Try Your Best. Former Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal launched Parallel Web Systems, which secured a $100 million Series A in November valuing the AI research company at $740 million. Pinky Cole lost control of Slutty Vegan in early 2025 during restructuring of the $20 million debt-laden company but reacquired it one month later, now focusing on franchising with six locations instead of 18.
The Digg resurrection feels nostalgic
Kevin Rose buying back Digg with his former rival Alexis Ohanian is one of those moves that makes you wonder—can you really go home again? Digg was basically the blueprint for modern social voting systems before it all went wrong with that disastrous 2010 redesign. Now they’re positioning it as a “human-centered experience in the age of AI,” which sounds nice but honestly feels a bit like trying to revive MySpace in the TikTok era. The timing is interesting though—with everyone complaining about toxic social media environments, maybe there’s actually room for a simpler, cleaner platform. But here’s the thing: the internet has moved on, and Rose’s venture capital backing from True Ventures suggests this might be more about proving a point than building the next big thing.
The 23andMe bankruptcy drama
Anne Wojcicki’s comeback might be the fastest and messiest on this list. Her company went from a $6 billion valuation to Chapter 11 in what felt like overnight, thanks to that massive 2023 hacking incident that specifically targeted Ashkenazi Jewish genetic data. The fact that she initially got rejected by her own board only to come back through a nonprofit acquisition is wild corporate drama. I mean, buying your own company out of bankruptcy? That’s some next-level founder determination. The real question is whether customers will trust 23andMe again with their most personal data—their DNA—after all this chaos. Wojcicki clearly believes she’s the only one who can fix this mess, but rebuilding consumer confidence in genetic testing after a breach this significant won’t be easy.
The other comeback stories
Tyler Haney’s return to Outdoor Voices feels different—more strategic than desperate. She’s not just coming back to run the apparel brand; she’s bringing her loyalty platform Try Your Best with her. That “full circle” comment she made about integrating the two companies actually makes business sense. Community was always Outdoor Voices’ strength, and having actual tools to measure and scale that could be the missing piece.
Then there’s Parag Agrawal’s Parallel Web Systems. Getting $100 million in Series A funding so quickly after the Twitter debacle? That’s impressive recovery speed. The AI research space is crowded, but his credibility from running Twitter (however briefly) clearly still carries weight with VCs.
But Pinky Cole’s Slutty Vegan story might be the most raw. Losing your company due to debt, then buying it back a month later with an LLC called “Ain’t Nobody Coming to See You, Otis”? That’s pure founder energy. Her comment to People magazine about realizing her personal connection to customers is her superpower shows she learned the hard way that sometimes the founder IS the brand.
What these comebacks really mean
Look, founder comebacks aren’t just feel-good stories—they’re business experiments. Sometimes the person who built the thing is the only one who truly understands how to fix it. Other times, they’re just too emotionally attached to let go. The common thread here seems to be that these founders believe they have unfinished business or unique insights that new leadership can’t replicate.
But let’s be real—not every comeback works. For every Steve Jobs returning to save Apple, there are dozens of founders who can’t recapture the magic. The companies that succeed in these second acts tend to be the ones where the founder has genuinely learned from past mistakes rather than just trying to recreate what worked before. These 2025 comebacks will be fascinating to watch because they’re happening in such different contexts—from bankruptcy bailouts to strategic returns to pure passion projects. Basically, we’re about to find out if you can actually teach old founders new tricks.
