Three weeks after acquisition, BuzzFeed lays off 47 employees at Huffington Post

BuzzFeed has laid off 47 employees of Huffington Post in the United States, three weeks after it acquired the company from Verizon Media, as part of "a restructuring effort aimed at stemming financial losses". Simultaneously, BuzzFeed said it was shutting down HuffPost Canada entirely later this month.

Huffington Post's executive editor Hillary Frey and executive editor (international) Louise Roug would be "departing", the company said.

BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti told staffers that the decision was made in order to "fast-track" HuffPost's "path to profitability". HuffPost's losses in 2020 totaled around $20 million, Peretti said, adding: "Though BuzzFeed is a profitable company, we don’t have the resources to support another two years of losses."

The Guardian reported that the layoffs constitute nearly 30 percent of HuffPost's US-based journalists.

Journalist Laura Bassett tweeted that HuffPost employees were "invited to a meeting" where they were told 47 people would be laid off.

HuffPost employees, after a year of working through a pandemic that isn't over, were invited to a meeting today with the password "spring is here," where they were told 47 of them would be laid off. They would only know if they still had a job if they didn't receive an email by 1

— Laura Bassett (@LEBassett) March 9, 2021

Laid-off employees also posted on Twitter to confirm the news.

Today I got laid off at HuffPost, after a decade of work I am so incredibly proud of. I am one of 47 of my deeply, beautifully, funny and talented and wonderful and kind colleagues who lost their jobs today.

I'm the most sad that we can't all hug each other. (Also... hire me?)

— Emma Gray (@emmaladyrose) March 9, 2021

After nine years at HuffPost, I am unfortunately saying goodbye to my incredible colleagues. I'm so proud of the work we've done.

If you're looking to hire someone who loves writing about public opinion, good data and awful puns, please get in touch.

— Ariel Edwards-Levy (@aedwardslevy) March 9, 2021

My last day at HuffPost will be March 15, alongside some wonderful colleagues and friends. It's been a great 9+ years. I'm proud of all the work we did. If you known of any good opportunities, my DMs are open. https://t.co/cI5jnbgMQ6

— Emily Peck (@EmilyRPeck) March 9, 2021

BuzzFeed's decision was slammed by the HuffPost Union, which said: "We are devastated and infuriated, particularly after an exhausting year of covering a pandemic and working from home. This is also happening less than a month after HuffPost was acquired by BuzzFeed. We never got a fair shot to prove our worth. These layoffs reiterate the importance of forming a union and advocating for our colleagues."

Also Read: HuffPost India is history, thanks to new FDI norms

Newslaundry is a reader-supported, ad-free, independent news outlet based out of New Delhi. Support their journalism, here.