12Njuygt

By JOANN S. LUBLIN, AMIR EFRATI and SPENCER E. ANTE

Yahoo Inc.'s board has approved a deal to acquire blogging startup Tumblr, people familiar with the matter said Sunday.
More on Tumblr

In a 2012 interview, Tumblr's David Karp spoke to the Wall Street Journal about how he started the company and where he's headed with it. Read the interview.

ATD: Board Approves Deal as Expected Heard on the Street: Tumblr of Opportunity Earlier: Will Yahoo Try to Get Its 'Cool Again'

Timeline: A Changing Internet Pioneer

See key dates in the history of Yahoo, which helped to revolutionize the Web.

View Graphics

More photos and interactive graphics

Yahoo has agreed to pay $1.1 billion in cash for the company, one of the people said. Tumblr would continue to operate largely as an independent business, the people said.

It wasn't immediately clear whether Tumblr's board had also approved the deal. Spokesmen for Yahoo and Tumblr didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.

Yahoo's board approved the deal in a meeting by telephone on Friday, one of the people said. A deal could be announced as soon as Monday, the person said.

Tumblr, founded in 2007, fast built a following by making it easy for people to post blogs and photos, follow other people on Tumblr and receive updates via a feed. The website's simple design has lowered the bar for online publishing and effectively merged blogging with social media.

By acquiring Tumblr, Yahoo would instantly gain a social-media site that has become a hub of communication and blogging for millions of people, but one that generates little revenue.

Tumblr Chief Executive David Karp has focused on building the company's user base for its minimalist blogging platform while leaving for later the question of earning money. It is a pattern typical for young Internet companies.

Tumblr began placing ads on its service last year. Mr. Karp, who once told the Los Angeles Times that he was