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BuzzFeed announced that it was cutting the size of its workforce by 12%, the latest media company to go through layoffs amid worsening economic conditions.
In a filing with the SEC, the company cited “challenging macroeconomic conditions,” the completion of its acquisition of Complex Media Inc., and an audience shift to short form, vertical video. The reduction plan is expected to be “substantially completed” by the first quarter of 2023.
Jonah Peretti, CEO of the company, wrote in a memo to impacted staffers that “our revenues are being impacted by a combination of worsening macroeconomic conditions, and the ongoing audience shift to vertical video, which is still developing from a monetization standpoint. This requires us to lower our costs. Unfortunately, reducing our workforce is an essential part of cost cutting.” A spokesperson for BuzzFeed did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Earlier this year. BuzzFeed announced that it was scaling back its news coverage, as several editors departed.
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The company said that it expected to incur restructuring charges of $8 million to $12 million per year.
Peretti wrote that they were focusing on eliminating duplicative functions with Complex Networks, which BuzzFeed acquired last year. BuzzFeed also made cuts to the staff of HuffPost after acquiring the news site last year.
Peretti wrote, “The path I’m laying out today is the result of a deliberate and collaborative resource allocation review among the leadership team, which prioritizes: Investing in areas that will drive growth, and shifting away from areas with less audience engagement; And, building a more robust creator business, which requires a close conduit between content, business, and tech, and bringing additional skills and tools to the organization.”
BuzzFeed is only the latest media outlet to undergo cost cuts. Last month, Protocol announced that it would shut down, while Axios reported that The Recount plans to shut down its operations this week. Among traditional news outlets, CNN laid off hundreds of staffers last week, while The Washington Post announced plans to shutter its weekly magazine and NPR said it would freeze hiring.