“Pre-internet, such people would have been confined to relaying their theories on the phone and in the mail. But thanks to the internet, it’s simple to develop a following.”— Paul Mulshine, nj.com
“I think there’s a huge opportunity to serve those consumers. And not all of them are going to be subscribers to any publication.”— Jonah Peretti, vox.com
“BuzzFeed Inc. has agreed to acquire Verizon Media’s HuffPost in a stock deal, the companies said Thursday, uniting two of the larger players in digital media as companies across the sector search for ways to jump-start growth.”— Benjamin Mullin and Keach Hagey, wsj.com
“BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti has been talking about revenue diversification and balance for years. Following his company’s latest executive departure, the digital publisher will be leaning even harder into that strategy.”— Max Willens, digiday.com
“BuzzFeed News staffers across the US are walking out today to demand that BuzzFeed management return to the table and recognize our union on fair terms that reflect the way our newsroom works.”— Buzzfeed News Union, twitter.com
“Jonah Peretti, the co-founder and CEO of BuzzFeed, has said in the past that he doesn't think unions are 'right' for the company.”— Tom Kludt, An Phung, cnn.com
“Advertising can augment a publisher, but it’s hard to believe it can support one, even one expressly built for the Internet. That is now the realm of Aggregators.”— Ben Thompson, stratechery.com
“I think media is still a great business, if you run it like a damn business.”— Jim VandeHei, nytimes.com
“BuzzFeed’s brand still holds cache and they still have decent reach — I would put them in the top 10 to 15 percentile — but there are other strong contenders for our brands, which will only further fragment media dollars.”— Kaitlyn Boulos, digiday.com
“To make up for some of the loss in manpower, BuzzFeed will lean more heavily on unpaid contributors and editorial fellows to make quizzes, sources said. This year, BuzzFeed will resurrect a fellowships program, but in an expanded form. Fellowships will last 12 months instead of three, and the number…”— Max Willens, digiday.com
“People are starting to realize this nursing of millennial journalism is sort of silly. A lot of media companies came out and said, ‘we have a better way to connect and run with us because we know millennials.’ I wonder if the marketplace is calling bullshit on that one.”— Barry Lowenthal, adweek.com
“The restructuring we are undertaking will reduce our costs and improve our operating model so we can thrive and control our own destiny, without ever needing to raise funding again. These changes will allow us to be the clear winner in the market as the economics of digital media continue to improve…”— Jonah Peretti, recode.net
“It seems to me that it would be in Facebook’s interest to share revenue and have more control over their platform. Part of my critique for Facebook is why they wouldn’t want to ensure of quality content on their platform by sharing revenue and it makes it harder for them to get rid of fake news and…”— Jonah Peretti, digiday.com
“If every news organization puts the majority of their content behind paywalls, it’s hard to have an informed electorate.”— Jonah Peretti, digiday.com
“Facebook will have no chance to control what’s in News Feed if the only lever they have is traffic, because the only way to say we want influence over this content is if you have a lever of content and a lever of revenue.”— Jonah Peretti, recode.net
“*Havin sex w/ buzzfeed employee* Me: I'm gonna cum. Buzzfeed employee: Here are 16 other things that will make you cum, you won't believe #9.”— Brandon, twitter.com
“Buzzfeed is *entirely predicated* on surveilling & stealing from activism, leveraging findings to make corporate advertising more effective.”— Shanley, twitter.com
“Exploitation of diverse media/creators is bigger than a pattern of plagiarism here. It is the fundamental financial strategy of Buzzfeed.”— Shanley, twitter.com