Uncanny Valley | WIRED Can UpScrolled Keep Up With a Surge in Users?
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Apr 7, 2026 Issam Hijazi, tech founder who built UpScrolled after 17 years in the industry, discusses his rapid-growth social app. He explains the chronological feed and anti-algorithm design. He recounts scaling from 150k to millions, rapid hiring, and building moderation with human-in-the-loop AI. He outlines monetization plans and handling controversy around content policies and location choices.
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Founding Upscroll After Witnessing Online Suppression
- Issam Hijazi launched Upscroll after witnessing alleged censorship and shadow-banning around the Gaza conflict.
- He spent personal savings and every waking hour to build the app, launching in July 2025 to give people an ethical alternative.
Choosing Chronological Feed Over Algorithmic Curation
- Upscroll uses a strictly chronological feed to avoid algorithmic curation and addiction, prioritizing posts from followed accounts.
- Issam argues algorithms push irrelevant or propagandistic content and chronological order restores simple, user-directed consumption.
Solo Founder Survives A Viral Surge To Millions
- A TikTok ownership transfer and related events triggered explosive growth for Upscroll, jumping from ~150,000 to about 2.5 million users by late January.
- Issam ran the product solo during the surge, firefighting infrastructure, support, moderation, and PR while traveling and missing family time.