Understandable somewhat - I always wondered like how they afforded all the bandwidth etc to host all those images and allow the direct linking. As with reddit, nuts to all the lurkers. Want to use a service, at least log in to it even if not going to pay.

I was eternally grateful for that direct linking option, very useful on forums etc and even paid for an account. Then they removed the pay option years ago. Never understood it. I want to give you money! They had their reasons and it simplified some things but whatever.

Someone mentioned reddit buying them, yeah that should have been on the table from the start when reddit started hosting their own images, but I guess someone shot it down in the name of independence.