I spoke to LaFountain, who was previously VP of support at Tumblr, about how the Karp investment came about and he gave us the backstory.
"Buckingham Palace it's not, but every time I pull into the driveway, that big old eyesore feels like home to me," Mr. Karp writes about the Lomax homestead with his typical aw-shucks geniality.
(You can also watch Part I of the interview here, in which Karp talks about why traditional blogs aren't for everyone).
"They just have to work together, play as one team, play with heart," Karp said about his team's playoff chances.
"It just goes to show that especially in this day and age, not all of the important work is being done by the big media outlets," said Lorraine Forte, Catalyst's former editor-in-chief, who edited the series of stories Karp wrote about SUPES.
Above all, Karp's home is about as different as it is possible to be, style-wise, from the tech palaces of the West, or the smart homes of the 1990s that were once supposed to be the future.
If Karp is worried about taking on more responsibilities, it doesn't show.
Karp was reflective about how his role at Tumblr was changing.
Karp reportedly owned about 20% of Tumblr stock, valuing his stake at $220m after Monday's deal.
Shortly before Facebook's initial public offering, Karp started talking about making money from advertising — which seemed to run counter to a declaration he made in 2010 that advertising "really turns our stomachs".
