CSS-Tricks is independent again, with a new owner after DigitalOcean
CSS-Tricks announced in a post on its own site that it is "an independent site once again". The post recaps the history: DigitalOcean purchased CSS-Tricks in 2022 from Chris Coyier, who founded the site in 2007 and ran it right up to that purchase. Now, in 2026, the post's author is taking independent ownership. The author's name does not appear in the text. The author says they have worked on the site for 12 years, calls it an investment, and is making it a full-time job, "at least for a while". A small team helps with day-to-day management.
The post is written as a question-and-answer. On how the owner can afford it, the author first jokes that an IPO has made them worth one trillion dollars, then retracts it. The real answer is that it will be hard. Advertising will be needed, and the site will go back to what it did before DigitalOcean: selling ad packages with display ads, sponsored posts and newsletter sponsors. Ad revenue cannot be the only thing paying the bills, though. The author has been developing an HTML/CSS course for beginners, which should be one of the first new things readers see, and says other projects are in the works. A paid support option already exists: a membership that gives access to a members-only community on Discord plus some perks. There is also a new shop. The newsletter is returning after what the author calls a way-too-long hiatus.
The author argues that educational content has been in the dumps and that front-end courses are down across the board, so learning the basics has to be done differently. CSS-Tricks has traditionally been for people who already know what they are doing; the goal now is to be a real community and more inclusive of beginners, at a time when the field is in the early throes of a growing skills gap. The author says this will take work and time.
Articles keep coming, but less often: expect maybe one or two most weeks, at least at the start. The guest writing form is open again. A backlog of articles runs through the rest of the year, so new submissions will wait, not everything will be accepted, and slop submissions are unwelcome. The author does not plan to write most of the articles to save cost. The aim is a platform that gives other people a voice, with the author as publisher: helping writers develop a voice, giving them a platform, so that they help others get better at their jobs. The author may still write a bit, develop the site, edit drafts or help with sponsorships.
For support, the author points to the membership, the shop, buying advertising, and eventually buying the course. Non-financial help counts too: subscribing to the newsletter, sharing articles, clicking through from an RSS app and checking out sponsors.
Key facts
- DigitalOcean bought CSS-Tricks in 2022 from founder Chris Coyier (who started it in 2007); in 2026 the post's author, a 12-year contributor, takes independent ownership and works on it full-time, with a small team.
- Revenue plan: a return to pre-DigitalOcean ad packages (display ads, sponsored posts, newsletter sponsors), plus a members-only Discord community with perks, a new shop and a beginner HTML/CSS course.
- The newsletter returns after a long hiatus, and the guest writing form reopens, though a backlog runs through the rest of the year.
- Publishing slows to maybe one or two articles most weeks at first; the author wants to act as publisher and give other writers the spotlight.
- No deal terms, prices, exact date or the author's name are given.
Why it matters
CSS-Tricks is a long-running front-end publication that Chris Coyier founded in 2007 and sold to DigitalOcean in 2022. Its return to independent ownership is a change of direction for a site many front-end developers read. The author also frames it as a bet on a different kind of learning content, saying front-end courses are down across the board and that teaching the basics must be done differently.
Who it affects
Readers will see fewer articles, a returning newsletter and more beginner-friendly material. Writers get a reopened guest submission form, though new submissions wait behind a backlog that runs through the rest of the year. Advertisers are invited to reach out, since display ads, sponsored posts and newsletter sponsorships are coming back. Beginners are the audience the author most wants to add.
How to use it
The post lists the ways to support the site: join the membership for a members-only Discord community and perks, check out the new shop, buy advertising, and later buy the beginner course. Free options are subscribing to the newsletter, sharing articles, clicking through from an RSS app and visiting sponsors. People who want to write can use the guest writing form, expecting a wait. The author also says to ask questions in the comments.
How solid is it
This is a first-party announcement published on css-tricks.com by the new owner. The ownership change, the 2022 DigitalOcean purchase and the plans are the author's own statements. The post does not name its author, and gives no purchase price or deal terms, no explanation of why DigitalOcean is giving up the site, and no exact date beyond 2026. The trillion-dollar IPO line is a joke the author retracts, not a funding source.
Risks and caveats
The author is open that it will be hard: ad revenue alone cannot pay the bills, and the plans lean on a course, a membership and a shop whose prices and launch dates are not stated. The author also admits to being overwhelmed and nervous, and the full-time commitment is only "at least for a while". Publishing will be lower than readers are used to, and no timescale is given for the newsletter's return. How the purchase is funded beyond these revenue lines is not in the post.
“My goal is to make CSS-Tricks a platform that gives folks a voice to share great ideas.”
— The author of the CSS-Tricks announcement post