Gawker is dead. Also.
Bustle Digital Group, publisher of Gawker, announced Wednesday that it will shut down its recently revived website, cutting about 8% of the company’s total staff.
BDG CEO Brian Goldberg said in an email to staff that although 2022 was financially strong, it faces a “surprisingly difficult” start to the year.
“BDG has decided to prioritize some of its investments to better position the company for the direction the industry is moving,” he wrote.
Goldberg bought the Gawker name for $1.35 million at a bankruptcy auction in 2018. Irreverent gossip sites helped define digital media in the 2000s. It closed in 2016 after its then-parent company, Gawker Media, filed for bankruptcy after former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan filed a lawsuit for invasion of privacy.
After Gawker’s reboot attempt was thwarted in 2019, Goldberg enlisted editor Leah Finnegan to finally bring the website back to life in July 2021.
In a note Wednesday, Goldberg said: Gawker has put out a lot of great work in almost his two years. But in this new reality, more profitable sites should be your priority. This is a business decision, one that has to be made reluctantly. ”
BDG is the latest in a wave of media and technology companies to announce layoffs as the advertising market slows and economic forecasts look uncertain. Dotdash Meredith, Vox Media and The Washington Post all announced layoffs last month.
In September, BDG, which publishes various lifestyle brands such as Bustle and Nylon, shut down technology website Input and laid off most of the staff at culture site Mic.
The Writers Guild of America Eastern, which represents BDG workers, said in a statement that BDG fired nearly 40 guild members on Wednesday.
“This is the third layoff in the last six months, effectively halving the original unit from 200 employees to just over 100,” Guild said.
“Today’s latest layoffs and closure of Gawker come shortly after the most recent negotiation date was completely canceled by the company after more than two years of trying to negotiate an initial contract with BDG.”
