Mapbox

The startup was created as a part of Development Seed in order to offer map customization for non-profit customers, in 2010. It was bootstrapped until a 2013 $10 million Series A funding round by Foundry Group.{{cite web|last=Lomas|first=Natasha|title=Mapbox Closes $10M Series A From Foundry Group To Build The Future Of Interactive, Mobile Maps|date=16 October 2013 |url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/10/16/mapbox-closes-10m-series-a-from-foundry-group-to-build-the-future-of-interactive-mobile-maps/|publisher=TechCrunch|accessdate=3 December 2013}} In June 2015, Mapbox announced it had raised $52.55 million in a Series B round of funding led by DFJ Growth.{{cite web|last1=Lunden|first1=Ingrid|title=Mapbox Raises $52.6M Led By DFJ To Be The "Map Layer" For All Apps|date=17 June 2015 |url=https://techcrunch.com/2015/06/17/mapbox-raises-52-6m-led-by-dfj-to-build-the-map-layer-for-all-apps/#.f4enjv:w05Q|accessdate=1 July 2015}}

Early work on OpenStreetMap tools, including the iD editor, was funded by a $575,000 grant from the Knight Foundation.{{cite web|last=Franzen|first=Carl|title=Mapbox Aims For Open Source, Digital Map Revolution|date=21 September 2012|url=http://talkingpointsmemo.com/idealab/mapbox-aims-for-open-source-digital-map-revolution|publisher=Talking Points Memo|accessdate=3 December 2013}}

On July 11, 2016, MapQuest discontinued the open tile API{{cite web|url=https://lwn.net/Articles/695337/|title=GNOME Maps and the tile problem|date=2016-07-27}} and users such as GNOME Maps were switched to a temporarily free tier of the Mapbox tileserver,{{cite web|url=https://mail.gnome.org/archives/maps-list/2016-July/msg00017.html|title=Tiles and Mapbox|author=Mattias Bengtsson}} while considering alternatives.{{cite web|url=https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=764841|title=Bug 764841 – Stop Using MapQuest Tile Server|publisher=}}

In October 2017, SoftBank led a $164 million investment in Mapbox Inc., with other existing investors including venture-capital firms Foundry Group, DFJ Growth, DBL Partners and Thrive Capital.{{cite news |last=Higgins |first=Tim |date=October 10, 2017 |title=SoftBank Leads $164 Million Bet on Digital-Mapping Startup Mapbox |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/softbank-leads-164-million-bet-on-digital-mapping-startup-mapbox-1507640404 | work=Wall Street Journal |location=New York City, New York, United States |access-date=October 10, 2017}} In November 2017, Mapbox acquired the Belarus-based neural network startup Mapdata.{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/11/03/mapbox-acquires-mapdata-to-help-it-expand-into-ar-maps/|title=Mapbox acquires neural network startup Mapdata to help it expand into AR maps|website=TechCrunch|date=3 November 2017 |language=en-US|access-date=2018-12-21}}

In January 2018, Mapbox acquired the team behind the open-source routing engine Valhalla.{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/04/mapbox-adds-makes-another-acquisition-to-bolster-its-navigation-toolkits/|title=Mapbox makes another acquisition to bolster its navigation toolkits|website=TechCrunch|date=4 January 2018 |language=en-US|access-date=2018-12-21}}

In December 2020, Mapbox released the second version of their JavaScript library for online display of maps, Mapbox GL JS. Previously open source code under a BSD license, the new version switched to proprietary licensing.{{cite web | url=https://github.com/mapbox/mapbox-gl-js/commit/85f124d89b085b20b721a36f1b17647948b90811 | title=Update mapbox-gl-js v2 license · mapbox/Mapbox-gl-js@85f124d | website=GitHub }} This resulted in a fork of the open source code, MapLibre GL, and initiation of the MapLibre project.

In March 2021, the company appointed a new chief executive officer, Peter Sirota, formerly of AWS.{{Cite web|date=2021-03-01|title=Peter Sirota, CEO of Mapbox|language=en|url=https://www.mapbox.com/blog/peter-sirota-ceo-of-mapbox}} Sirota replaced Eric Gundersen, who became "chief strategy officer" and chairman of the board.{{Cite news|date=2021-03-01|title=SoftBank-Backed Mapbox Names New CEO to Go After Carmakers|language=en|work=Bloomberg.com|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-01/softbank-backed-mapbox-names-new-ceo-to-go-after-carmakers|access-date=2021-03-25}}

In June 2021, workers at Mapbox announced that a majority of US-based employees had signed and submitted union authorization cards to the National Labor Relations Board in order to be represented by the Communication Workers of America, through CODE-CWA.{{Cite web |last=Ford |first=Brody |date=June 15, 2021 |title=Mapbox Faces Union Drive as Labor Organizers Extend Push in Tech |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-06-15/mapbox-workers-announce-union-drive-in-latest-tech-labor-push |access-date=June 15, 2021 |website=Bloomberg News}}{{Cite web |last=Kramer |first=Anna |date=15 June 2021 |title=Mapbox employees have unionized, adding another union to CWA's organizing push |url=https://www.protocol.com/bulletins/mapbox-employees-have-unionized-cwa-organizing-push |access-date=October 4, 2023 |website=Protocol}} Mapbox declined to voluntarily recognize the union, requesting an election be held in addition to the card check.{{Cite web|last=Love|first=Julia|date=August 5, 2021|title=Silicon Valley workers vote down union at SoftBank-backed Mapbox|access-date=October 4, 2023|url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/silicon-valley-workers-vote-down-union-softbank-backed-mapbox-2021-08-05/|website=Reuters}} The election, conducted the following August, resulted in 123 votes versus 81 in favor of forming a union.{{Cite news|date=2021-08-05|title=Union Drive at SoftBank-Backed Mapbox Fails at the Ballot Box|language=en|work=Bloomberg.com|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-05/union-drive-at-softbank-backed-mapbox-fails-at-the-ballot-box|access-date=2021-09-08}}

On June 14, 2022, the NLRB issued a complaint against Mapbox, citing coercive actions, like threats and surveillance, and the firing of union organizers.{{cite web | url=https://www.nlrb.gov/case/20-CA-283393 | title=Mapbox, Case Number: 20-CA-283393 | date=14 June 2022}}{{cite web | url=https://www.protocol.com/bulletins/mapbox-sued-firing-union-organizers | title=Mapbox sued by labor regulators for firing union organizers | date=15 June 2022 }} Shortly after, an article was published describing the union busting tactics used at Mapbox.{{cite web | url=https://www.protocol.com/workplace/why-tech-companies-union-bust | title=The real reasons Big Tech hates unions | date=15 June 2022 }} A court date was set for October 3, 2022, however a settlement agreement was ultimately reached.{{cite web | url=https://www.nlrb.gov/case/20-CA-283393 | title=Mapbox, Case Number: 20-CA-283393 | date=28 Nov 2022}}

The data is taken from open data sources, such as OpenStreetMap and NASA, and from purchased proprietary data sources, such as DigitalGlobe.[https://www.wired.com/design/2013/05/a-cloudless-atlas/ A Cloudless Atlas — How Mapbox Aims to Make the World’s ‘Most Beautiful Map’], Wired, 14 May 2013{{cite news|title=Map Data: Stick a Pin in It|url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/babbage/2013/04/map-data|publisher=The Economist|accessdate=3 December 2013|date=4 April 2013}} The technology is based on Node.js,{{cite web|last=Nugent|first=Dave|title=Node.js Future & Drupal|url=http://www.davetech.com/blog/node-js-javascript-future-drupal|accessdate=3 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131206172443/http://www.davetech.com/blog/node-js-javascript-future-drupal|archive-date=6 December 2013|url-status=dead}} Mapnik, GDAL, and Leaflet.

Mapbox uses anonymized data from telemetry pings, such as Strava and Runkeeper, to identify likely missing data in OpenStreetMap with automatic methods, then manually applies the fixes or reports the issue to OSM contributors.{{cite web|url=https://www.mapbox.com/blog/updating-map-runkeeper/|title=You may just have updated the map with your RunKeeper route|first=Alex|last=Barth|date=29 June 2017|publisher=}}{{cite web|url=https://github.com/mapbox/mapping/wiki|title=mapbox/mapping |publisher=GitHub}}

• TomTom
• ArcGIS
• HERE Maps
• Google Maps
• OpenStreetMap
• QGIS
• MapTiler
• Magic Lane

{{Reflist}}

{{Commonscat}}

• {{Official website}}
• [https://www.mapbox.com/maps/streets/ Mapbox Streets], a global map with street level detail
• [https://www.mapbox.com/maps/outdoors/ Mapbox Outdoors], a high-level topographic and bathymetric map
• [http://www.mapbox.com/tilemill/gallery/#bclc-apec.map-rslgvy56 Earthquake Risk Zones], Earthquake risks mapped against active USAID projects in the pacific rim region.

{{OpenStreetMap}}

Category:Internet properties established in 2010

Category:Web mapping