5 Years of Glass

Today Glass turns 5.

In internet years, that's no small feat. To mark the occasion, Tom and Stefan wanted to share a few words with the community.

A note from Tom

Five years ago, Glass was mostly an idea. I had a picture in my head of the kind of community I hoped could exist, but a vision isn't a community. It's just a promise.

Back then, we had a simple iPhone app and a belief that if we built the right foundation, photographers would build something much bigger than the software itself. Looking around today, that's what I see. Not just an app, but a community with its own culture, friendships, traditions, and generosity. The software matters, but it's really the connective tissue between all of you that makes Glass feel alive.

We also chose a harder path. We didn't raise a lot of venture capital or build toward an exit. That meant growing more slowly and making decisions for the long term instead of the next funding round. There were plenty of moments where that felt uncertain, especially in the early days. Building something sustainable is much less exciting than promising the moon, but it's the only way we knew how to do this.

Five years later, Glass is still here because thousands of photographers believed in that vision enough to support it. There's still so much we want to build, and we have plenty of work ahead of us. Still, I'm forever grateful to everyone who has helped us get to where we are today.

— Tom

A note from Stefan

When we started Glass five years ago, we didn't know exactly what it would become. We wanted a place where photographers could share their work without having to perform for an algorithm.

I keep coming back to something simple: a photograph holds onto a moment that's already gone. Someone was there, in that place, and saw it. With so much of the internet now generated or optimized for attention, that feels worth protecting.

Glass is still here because people decided it was worth paying for, contributing to, and spending time in. I don't take that for granted. I'm thankful to everyone who has made this small corner of the internet what it is.

— Stefan

Thanks to all of you for making Glass what it is today. We're grateful you're part of this community.

Here's to the next five years!