CSS-Tricks has a new owner!

Yes, I've got the keys to the castle, so to speak. And, even after 12 years of working on the site, I'll admit I'm a little overwhelmed and nervous about that. CSS-Tricks has a new owner! originally handwritten and published with love on CSS-Tricks . You should really get the newsletter as well.

GG

Geoff GrahamCSS-Tricks

·October 26, 2026·Articles

Ownership returns to independent hands

CSS-Tricks is independent again. Chris Coyier founded the site in 2007 and ran it until DigitalOcean acquired it in 2022; now, in 2026, the site is returning to independent ownership. Geoff Graham, who has worked on CSS-Tricks for 12 years, is taking the keys — with a small team handling day-to-day management. He describes the move as an investment and is making the site his full-time job, at least for a while, and admits to being both overwhelmed and nervous.

Funding the site

Advertising is back on the table, but approached differently than before. In the pre-DigitalOcean era, CSS-Tricks sold real ad packages: display ads, sponsored posts, newsletter sponsors. As an independent site, it returns to those roots, and Graham is inviting interested advertisers to reach out.

Ads alone can't cover the bills. A membership option is live, offering a members-only Discord community plus perks, and a new shop is open. A course for beginners in HTML/CSS has been in development and will be purchasable in the near future. A redesigned newsletter is also returning after a long hiatus.

Editorial direction

New articles continue, but expect one or two most weeks rather than the previous cadence. The guest writing form is back; a backlog of articles covers the rest of the year, so new submissions will wait a bit. Not everything submitted will be accepted, but Graham says he will read everything and follow up as best he can — with a pointed exception for what he calls slop submissions.

Graham doesn't plan to write most articles himself to save money. His goal is for CSS-Tricks to be a platform that gives others a voice, rather than his own soapbox. He describes his role as publisher — writing a bit, developing the site, editing drafts, helping with sponsorships — with the core job of helping writers develop a voice, giving them a platform, and helping readers get better at their jobs.

Widening the audience

An inclusivity goal runs through the plans: CSS-Tricks should serve people at every stage of the front-end learning journey, not only those who already know what they're doing. Graham points to a growing skills gap in the field and argues that learning the basics matters more than ever, while acknowledging that front-end courses are down across the board. That's why he says the format has to be done differently, and why a beginner course is among the first things readers will see.

How to support the site

Financial support can come through the membership, the shop, or advertising. A course purchase will also be possible soon. Non-financial support counts too: subscribing to the newsletter, sharing articles, clicking through from an RSS app, and checking out sponsors all help.

I want to make CSS-Tricks both a real community and a place that's inclusive of everyone, no matter where they are in their front-end learning journey.

Graham says he's an open book and will answer questions in the comments.