Sway House Is Officially Splitting Up & The Reason Why Is So Bittersweet

All good things must come to an end, even for A-list TikTokers. One of the most prominent influencer collectives is calling it quits, but there are still questions swirling on social media as to what the reason was for the Sway House breakup. So, why is Sway House splitting up? The top talent in the collective is going their separate ways to pursue their own individual career paths, but there's no bad blood between former Sway House members.

"Sway is bigger than just a house... it will live on as we continue to grow as people and further our careers as individuals," 22-year-old Griffin Johnson tweeted about the group's split on Feb. 8. Johnson has collaborated with Josh Richards, Bryce Hall, Jaden Hossler, Noah Beck, Blake Gray, Anthony Reeves, Kio Cyr, and Quinton Griggs on various videos and social media campaigns over the past year as a part of the Sway House.

It doesn't seem like the split caused any drama between the former members of the house, though, because Johnson's heartfelt tweet pointed out all the growth the group has seen as a result of their continued collaboration together. "Sway is a lifestyle/part of me that we will carry forever, it can't die."

Sway House's co-founder, Michael Gruen, confirmed to PEOPLE definitively that the house is over as a physical construct, but the spirit of the collective lives on indefinitely. "If you view Sway as a content collective that lives together and is with each other every day, then yes, it's over," he said.

Ultimately, Gruen framed the collective's split around the continued growth of each of the members' individual platforms. "But growth is important and they are each going in their own directions now. It's time to move on," he said. In an era where follower counts and big brand deals mean everything to influencers making careers out of their hype, the split makes total sense. All of the former members of the Sway House each cultivated their own unique followings and carved out niches in Los Angeles for their own personal brands.

With all of the members still dedicated to collaborating together and staying friends, it would seem Sway House was never just a living-arrangement to begin with. Maybe, the Sway House was inside all of us all along.