Playboy is packing up its bunny ears and hopping out of Los Angeles, moving its headquarters to Miami Beach.
The global lifestyle brand follows other companies such as Tesla, Chevron and Charles Schwab, that have traded California for South Florida’s more business-friendly environment.
On Friday, Playboy CEO Ben Kohn told Fox News Digital that California is “anti-business.”
"Miami is one of the most vibrant cities, in our opinion, and most fun cities in the country," Kohn said. "And given Florida and Miami's pro-business stance, leaving California, which is anti-business and a very difficult place to do business as an employer, we're excited to be relocating to Miami Beach. And the city of Miami Beach has been phenomenal and helpful in the move."
The new Miami Playboy headquarters will occupy the penthouse floor of The RIVANI building, a luxurious “Class X” commercial redevelopment at 1691 Michigan Avenue. The building offers a slew of benefits, including a spa, fitness and wellness centers, meditation rooms, an Omakase restaurant, speakeasy lounges, and private event spaces.
Playboy is developing a reimagined Playboy Club at the new location. This exclusive venue will feature a restaurant and members-only areas as a modern nod to the notorious Playboy Mansion.
Kohn said Playboy’s next chapter will focus on building new studios and producing podcasts, photography and other digital content.
“We plan on building a content team in Miami, with moving the magazine as we’ve relaunched the magazine and the Playmate franchise, basing all of that in Miami. And then we have a massive licensing business on a global basis, and we plan on building a significant licensing team in Miami as well.”
Playboy plans to complete its move to Miami by next year, Kohn said.
Businesses are leaving California due to high taxes, strict regulations, and expensive real estate. Power outages and traffic are also key factors, combined with the rise of remote work, which makes relocation easier.
States such as Florida and Texas offer lower taxes, lighter regulations, and business-friendly incentives, attracting companies seeking more favorable conditions.
Founded in 1953 by Hugh Hefner, Playboy’s first issue featured Marilyn Monroe and sold over 50,000 copies. The magazine quickly became a cultural phenomenon, mixing sophisticated lifestyle content, fiction, and interviews with its signature risqué pictorials.
Over the years, though, readership started to decline. Free online adult content, changing attitudes toward nudity and growing internet competition all took a toll.
In a controversial move in 2015, Playboy tried to modernize by removing nudity from its pages, but it brought it back just two years later. Even so, staying relevant was a challenge.
After Hefner died in 2017, Playboy was taken over by the PLBY Group, a private equity firm. Since then, the brand has shifted from being just a magazine to a broader lifestyle and entertainment company. Today, it focuses on apparel, licensing and digital media, all while keeping the iconic Playboy image alive.
As for the famous Playboy Mansion in Holmby Hills, Los Angeles, it was sold in 2016 to billionaire investor Daren Metropoulos. While Playboy no longer owns the mansion, it still retains the right to host occasional events there.
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