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☆ Ellen DeGeneres says the toxic workplace allegations about her talk show took 'such a toll on my ego'
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-26 | by ( Palmer Haasch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

DeGeneres' daytime talk show, "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," ran for 19 seasons from 2003 to 2022. But, as Rolling Stone reported, DeGeneres doesn't have any desire for "revenge," something that she commented on when an audience member asked her directly if she would seek out those who "wronged" her. Related stories"I don't know who wronged me," DeGeneres responded, per Rolling Stone. There's no mean people in show business," DeGeneres joked during the set, according to Rolling Stone. "Honestly, I'm making jokes about what happened to me but it was devastating, really," she said, per Rolling Stone.

Persons: —, Ellen DeGeneres, Ellen, DeGeneres, Stone, she's, would've Organizations: Service, BuzzFeed News, Business, West Hollywood, Stone, Hollywood Locations: West

☆ On social-media, Black women's content is monetized and appropriated without paying tribute to the creators
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Kara Alaimo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In the influencer world, Black female creators see their work co-opted without credit or apology. Kylie Jarrett, Ph.D., a scholar of media studies, refers to women content creators as "digital housewives," which is fitting because they often earn the same salary as stay-at-home moms: $0. Some of the most exploited people of all are Black women and girls who create content, then watch it get appropriated and monetized by others. They were eventually invited on the show via Zoom — but only after, you guessed it, social media outcry . The experience is so common among Black creators that in the summer of 2021, they went on strike to protest the practice of appropriating their work .

Persons: Kara Alaimo, —, Brittany Ashley, Ashley, cheekily, waitressing, BuzzFeed, Andrea Romo, Snapchat, Katie Feeney, Instagram, Kylie Jarrett, Mark Zuckerberg, Zuck, Jalaiah Harmon, Charli D'Amelio, Kourtney Kardashian, Jalaiah, influencers, TikTokers, Jalaiah wasn't, Jimmy Fallon, Addison Rae, Cardi, Mya Nicole, Chris Cotter, Rae, Mya, Elle, Chris, could've, Cornell, Brooke Erin Duffy Organizations: Women, Service, Globe, West Hollywood, YouTube, Facebook, Influencer, New York Times, NBA Locations: Eveleigh, West, Lowe's, Maryland, United States, Georgia

☆ A complete timeline of Tom Holland and Zendaya's relationship
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Olivia Singh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +53 min

AdvertisementNovember 2016: Holland and Zendaya appear in their first-ever joint cover, for The Hollywood ReporterZendaya and Tom Holland in June 2017. March 2021: Holland describes Zendaya as 'very sensible and humble'Zendaya and Tom Holland in June 2017. November 17, 2021: Holland and Zendaya comment on their relationship going publicZendaya and Tom Holland in "Spider-Man: No Way Home." February 18, 2022: Tom Holland denies reports that he bought a new house in London with ZendayaTom Holland in February 2022. I visited a lot while they were shooting it and I really, really enjoyed it.

Persons: —, Tom Holland, Zendaya, they've, Sony Pictures Entertainment Holland, Peter Parker, Holland, didn't, I've, He's, Con Tom Holland, Albert L, Ortega, Laura Harrier, Liz, Tony Revolori, Flash Thompson, Jacob Batalon, Ned Leeds, ove, hank y, hank, ove y 'all!, hanks, eing, hy, H, ada, ike, huck, Tom Hol, le tag ove, g the, Hol, MJ', ake, hal l, taki, as h, Rob K, ate fame, abou, ..ha, lea, Kev, edd, Josh Flor, birt, rie, stor, Ric, aske, Tom H, ed then, hal, ong, winn, Q, iva, riva, ory, oba, Fran, and S, Jacob, him ", nic, Eric C, y, 2022:, enda y, Kelly, siti, ted, Hunter, Marc, Marin, inger, his ap, Rajan, Ze, kee, enjoy,, "I wa, stu, shou, olly, ing each o, I love, It's, Elvin R odrig, bert Downey Jr. an, Harry, l ove, bec, Room,", enda, fini Organizations: Service, Sony, Business, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Marvel, America, Hollywood, San Diego Comic, Con, San Diego Convention Center, ust, pla, imi, ucc, MTV, ppr, a pl, Norton, rac, eas, CP, ACP, Fr, rit, acc, klan, ely Locations: Holland, Zendaya, ife, uman, pla, Hol, " he, sens, nsw, pula, India, Italy

☆ The real story behind the suicide of American socialite Ann Woodward in 'Feud: Capote vs. The Swans'
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Eve Crosbie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Woodward's suicide is depicted in the first episode of "Feud: Capote vs. Ann Woodward had a run with Truman Capote where she reportedly called him a homophobic slurTom Hollander plays Truman Capote in "Feud: Capote vs. Ann Woodward and William Woodward Jr. at the Embassy Club in the Ambassador Hotel in New York in 1975. According to Montillo, Capote recognized Woodward and approached her table; after a brief conversation, she reportedly called Capote a homophobic slur. Despite the two decades since her husband's death, Woodward's reputation was still in tatters among those who remembered the headline-making incident.

Persons: —, Ryan Murphy's, Truman Capote, Jon Robin Baitz, Laurence Leamer's, Tom Hollander, Capote, Leamer, Ann Woodward, Woodward, Demi Moore, Holly Golightly, Angeline Lucille Crowell, Ann Eden, William Woodward Jr, Susan Braudy, Bettmann, Roseanne Montillo's, Woodward's, Moritz, Montillo, Mrs, Bang, Lady Ina Coolbirth, Jones, Ann Hopkins, David Hopkins, Babe Paley, Naomi Watts, Nancy, Slim, Keith, Diane Lane, Ann Woodward's, Gerald Clarke, Capote's, Elsie Woodward, Truman, BuzzFeed's Alessa Dominguez, Jimmy, William Organizations: Service, Business, FX, Hulu, New York, Embassy Club, Woodward Locations: American, New York, Manhattan, La, Basque, Kansas, New, Europe, St

☆ Meta's retreat from news accelerated in 2023, leaving publishers scrambling for traffic
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Jonathan Vanian | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +14 min

At Mother Jones, a 48-year-old nonprofit magazine specializing in politics and investigations, the implications were dramatic. "The firehose of Facebook traffic was never going to pay for our journalism, for the majority of our journalism," Bauerlein said. Last decade, many publishers saw their "social traffic decline pretty dramatically," with Facebook deprioritizing text-based articles in favor of video content, Cholke said. "If we all end up finding news in the metaverse, then you'll be finding Mother Jones in the metaverse," she said. What Mother Jones won't do, she said, is "bet everything on one platform, because that never works out."

Persons: Mark Zuckerberg, Sen, John Kennedy, Bill Clark, Reuters Mother Jones, Monika Bauerlein, Mother Jones, Meta, Donald Trump, Bauerlein, Jill Nicholson, Nicholson, Zuckerberg, David Carr, Carr, We've, Meta hasn't, It's, Similarweb, Sam Cholke, John S, Adams, Jonah Peretti, " Peretti, Jessica Probus, BuzzFeed's, BuzzFeed, Probus, Cholke, that's, Chartbeat's Nicholson, Mathew Ingram, Facebook, Ingram, Pew, Elisa Shearer, influencers, Jones Organizations: Facebook, Reuters, Mother, CNBC, Google, Meta, Daily, Comcast, Vice Media, Institute for Nonprofit News, Texas Tribune, Montana Free Press, The Texas Tribune, Institute for Nonprofit, Longtime, Columbia Journalism, Pew Research Center, Pew Locations: Washington, France, Germany, Australia, Helena, American

☆ Donald Trump wants London court to rule 'Steele dossier' sex claims are false
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( Sam Tobin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Trump, the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, is suing Orbis Business Intelligence for alleged data protection breaches over a dossier written by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele, who co-founded Orbis. The Steele dossier, published by the BuzzFeed website in 2017, alleged ties between Trump's campaign and Russia and said Trump engaged in sexual behaviour that gave Russian authorities material with which to blackmail him. Orbis, however, argues that Trump is bringing the claim simply to address his "longstanding grievances" against the company and Steele. 'SHOCKING AND SCANDALOUS'Trump's lawyer Hugh Tomlinson told the court the former president wanted to prove that the "shocking and scandalous claims" in the Steele dossier were false. White said Trump only sued Orbis in London after a similar case brought in Florida against Orbis, Steele and others – including his Democratic opponent in the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton – was dismissed.

Persons: Donald Trump, Marco Bello, Christopher Steele, Trump, Steele, Hugh Tomlinson, Tomlinson, Antony White, White, Orbis, Hillary Clinton –, Jean Carroll, Letitia James, Trump's, Mikhail Fridman, Petr Aven, Karen Steyn, Sam Tobin, Ed Osmond, Christina Fincher, Rod Nickel Organizations: REUTERS, Trump, Orbis Business Intelligence, Orbis, Republican, Mr, Democratic, New, Thomson Locations: West Palm Beach , Florida, U.S, London, Russia, British, Moscow, St . Petersburg, Florida, New York

☆ Tim Burton says AI imitations of his art style are missing 'humanity' and 'soul' — even if the results are 'pretty good'
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Haley Tenore | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Tim Burton said AI art generators' imitations of his work felt soulless and lacked "humanity." He was referring to a BuzzFeed article that used AI to give Disney characters a Tim Burton makeover. Someone online prompts an AI art generator to imagine what a Wes Anderson version of "Star Wars" would look like, or Disney characters in the spooky style of Tim Burton. This BuzzFeed article features dark and creepy versions of Disney characters, like Elsa from Frozen. In an interesting twist, a federal judge recently ruled that AI artwork is not able to be copyrighted, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Persons: Tim Burton, Wes Anderson, Burton, Elsa, Tim Burton's, Marvel Organizations: Disney, Service, Independent, The, Marvel, Hollywood Locations: Wall, Silicon, Colorado

☆ BuzzFeed is at risk of getting kicked off the Nasdaq because its stock has been performing so badly
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Nathan Mcalone | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

BuzzFeed could get kicked off the Nasdaq because its stock price is so low. The digital media company has until November 27 to raise its price or face delisting. BuzzFeed has struggled as a public company and is now trying to pivot to AI and creators. BuzzFeed, once the darling of digital media, is now at risk of getting kicked off the Nasdaq because its stock is doing so badly. BuzzFeed has until November 27 to raise its stock price or it could get booted off the exchange.

Persons: BuzzFeed, J, Clara Chan, We've, Jonah Peretti, it's, Peretti Organizations: Nasdaq, Morning, Securities and Exchange Commission, Hollywood, Facebook

☆ How 'the dress' broke the internet — and pushed Facebook to force everyone into their own filter bubble
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Ben Smith | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

In 2015, a BuzzFeed staffer posted a picture of a dress with the caption, "What color is this dress?" The following is an excerpt from "Traffic: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral" by Ben Smith. Jonah saw it differently. From TRAFFIC: Genius, Rivalry, and Delusion in the Billion-Dollar Race to Go Viral by Ben Smith. Copyright © Ben Smith, 2023.

☆ People are loving BuzzFeed's AI-generated quizzes more than their human-generated ones: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-16 | by ( Nidhi Pandurangi | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

People spent 40% more time with BuzzFeed's AI quizzes than human-generated ones, per Bloomberg. AI is the new Golden Child, and BuzzFeed's quizzes help prove the point. People spent 40% more time with BuzzFeed's AI quizzes than its traditional, human-generated ones, the company said in an online investor forum, per a May 12 Bloomberg report. Under the "quizzes" tab of its homepage, BuzzFeed now has entire section devoted to AI quizzes. As Futurism reported, BuzzFeed has not made a detailed breakdown of engagement numbers on its quizzes available.

☆ LeBron James' SpringHill is circling Complex Networks as owner BuzzFeed struggles to regroup after layoffs and a stock price plunge
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

LeBron James and Maverick Carter's SpringHill has had conversations about buying BuzzFeed's Complex Networks, sources said. SpringHill Co., LeBron James and Maverick Carter's media and entertainment venture, has explored buying troubled BuzzFeed's Complex Networks, two sources familiar with the situation said. In addition to Complex Networks, BuzzFeed has HuffPost; food vertical Tasty, which includes licensed cooking products; as well as video series like travel-themed "Bring Me." Complex built long-form, host-driven video series like "Hot Ones" and "Sneaker Shopping" into high-profile brands in their own right. SpringHill Co. is a rollup including SpringHill Entertainment, which Carter founded with LeBron James, his childhood friend.

☆ It might be Jonah Peretti's last chance to turn BuzzFeed around
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Jonah Peretti, founder and CEO of BuzzFeed, attends his company's public debut outside the Nasdaq in Times Square in New York City, Dec. 6, 2021. To this point, BuzzFeed 's journey as a public company has been a bottomless pit. Co-founder and Chief Executive Jonah Peretti may be running out of time to alter his company's trajectory. Peretti's plan is to boost shares back over $1 by persuading investors he's prepared to run a more profitable company. It's fair to question Peretti's decision-making in not shutting down BuzzFeed News earlier, he acknowledged.

☆ BuzzFeed is shutting down its news arm and parting with 2 top executives
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

BuzzFeed News is shutting down as part of broader cuts at BuzzFeed that sent its stock price tumbling. The digital media company has struggled financially since its 2021 IPO. BuzzFeed is shutting down BuzzFeed News along with making layoffs of 15% in divisions across the organization, according to a memo shared with Insider. Two top BuzzFeed execs, Christian Baesler, COO, and Edgar Hernandez, CRO, are leaving the company as well. A handful of top execs from BuzzFeed's Complex Networks left as part of that round, including Complex's president, Justin Killion.

BuzzFeed wasn't the only digital media company to announce layoffs Thursday. Miller added that going public is probably not the best strategy for digital media companies like Buzzfeed. The news comes during a tough period for digital media companies as publishers are cutting staff as advertisers reduce spending. BuzzFeed will lay off 15% of staff and shut down its news unit, BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti wrote in an email to staff Thursday. The digital media company scaled back its news operation in an attempt to make BuzzFeed News profitable, resulting in the departure of several editors.

☆ BuzzFeed to shut news unit to focus on HuffPost and cut 15% staff
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

April 20 (Reuters) - BuzzFeed Inc (BZFD.O) said it will shut down its news division with an aim to consolidate its news content in HuffPost and cut its workforce by 15%, sending the shares of the digital media company down 10% on Thursday. The second round of job cuts will affect 180 employees in teams including business, content, tech and admin, CEO Jonah Peretti said in an email to staff. It had previously cut 12% of its staff in December. The company said the affected News staff would be considered for open roles at the main site BuzzFeed.com and HuffPost, which it had acquired in 2020. As part of the restructuring, the company said Chief Revenue Officer Edgar Hernandez and Chief Operating Officer Christian Baesler have decided to leave.

☆ The digital media rollup dream is dead for the moment — now it's all about core brand strength
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

What's happening in the digital media space echoes trends from the biggest media companies, including Netflix , Disney and Warner Bros. The rollup dream's rise and fallFrom late 2018 to early 2022, the digital media industry had a shared goal. First, digital media companies needed more scale to compete with Facebook and Google for digital advertising dollars. Large legacy media companies such as Disney and Comcast 's NBCUniversal invested hundreds of millions in digital media in the early and mid-2010s. "The digital media rollup has proven successful only when assets are thoughtfully combined with an eye toward consumers," Goldberg said.

☆ BuzzFeed transfers most of its cash out of crisis-hit SVB
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 16 (Reuters) - BuzzFeed Inc (BZFD.O) said on Thursday it had moved most of its cash from Silicon Valley Bank (SIVB.O) to other financial institutions, days after the digital media firm's stock slumped on news of its exposure to the troubled bank. Its shares have lost roughly 11% since the company said on Monday that most of its $56 million in cash and cash equivalents was held at the bank whose collapse sent shockwaves through the global financial system. The company's decision to move its money comes despite the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) having guaranteed all depositors of SVB access to their money. BuzzFeed said it did not expect any disruption to its ongoing operations. Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ ChatGPT writing BuzzFeed articles may reduce some costs for the media firm but it won't be as profitable as investors think, Bank of America says
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Jennifer Sor | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Getting ChatGPT to write BuzzFeed articles won't be as profitable as investors think, Bank of America said in a note. BofA maintained its underperform rating on the stock with a price target of $2, around 4% below its current price. Analysts pointed to the media company's recent announcement it would employ OpenAI's artificial intelligence technology to produce content for its website. That announcement, along with a recent $10 billion deal with Meta to bring more creators to Facebook and Instagram, caused BuzzFeed stock to soar 200% last week. But while AI technology could help BuzzFeed trim down some of its costs, it isn't the saving grace that investors may think, analysts said of the recent move.

☆ BuzzFeed writers react with a mix of disappointment and excitement at news that AI-generated content is coming to the website
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Aaron Mok | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Some BuzzFeed writers told Insider that they are disappointed by the company's move to use AI for content. But one BuzzFeed staffer said that its an exciting development and that it won't replace jobs. But she worries that the quality of BuzzFeed content will suffer as a result. But a second BuzzFeed staffer told Insider that she isn't worried that AI will replace writers at the company. "I think the actual applications of how this will apply to new quiz formats is exciting," the second BuzzFeed staffer said.

☆ We asked ChatGPT to write a listicle in the style of BuzzFeed. It's obvious why BuzzFeed is going to start using OpenAI tech.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

BuzzFeed is reportedly set to use ChatGPT creator OpenAI's technology in content creation. BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Perett told staff it would use tech to boost its quizzes and personalize some other content, per the WSJ. We asked ChatGPT generated a listicle in the style of BuzzFeed. A BuzzFeed spokesperson clarified to Insider the outlet will be not be using the wildly popular ChatGPT platform, but OpenAI's publicly available API. We put ChatGPT to the test by asking the platform to write a listicle based on "10 things that are better in other countries compared to the US" in BuzzFeed style.

☆ ChatGPT is about to write BuzzFeed content - and investors are loving it
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Phil Rosen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

BuzzFeed's part of that group too — but it's come up with a peculiar idea to ramp up business (and stock). Similar to other companies, BuzzFeed laid off 12% of its workforce last month, citing a worsening economic environment. The stock also got a boost from news of the media company's partnership with Meta, which will see BuzzFeed bring more content to Facebook and Instagram. It's unclear how ChatGPT's parent, OpenAI, ties into Meta's multi-million dollar deal with BuzzFeed, if at all, but the agreement is meant to boost creator content for Facebook and Instagram. It was the king of viral content and quirky listicles — and Facebook of course had a hand in getting eyeballs on BuzzFeed.

☆ BuzzFeed's $300M purchase of Complex promised to grow both brands, but insiders say strategies have clashed and Complex's culture is being 'completely gutted'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-03 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Complex insiders worry that the cuts threaten their brand's culture and future. Clashing video strategies as some fear Complex culture is being 'completely gutted'Kevin Hart appeared on Complex's "Hot Ones" series. Before joining with BuzzFeed, Complex's then-CEO Rich Antoniello had conversations with Vice Media and Vox Media. But Complex insiders felt especially aggrieved when, this fall, BuzzFeed announced a global expansion for ComplexCon. To Complex insiders, BuzzFeed's plan to take the event to Australia, Europe, and Asia simultaneously was unrealistic and under-resourced.

☆ Complex insiders say owner BuzzFeed has shed key talent, failed to invest in core content, and threatens to dilute the hip culture brand: 'The BuzzFeed ethos does not get it'
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Clashing video strategies as some fear Complex culture is being 'completely gutted'Kevin Hart appeared on Complex's "Hot Ones" series. Before joining with BuzzFeed, Complex's then-CEO Rich Antoniello had conversations with Vice Media and Vox Media. Rubbing salt in the wound, Complex insiders said they felt their brand was scrappier and more culturally relevant than BuzzFeed, which many consider past its prime. But Complex insiders felt especially aggrieved when, this fall, BuzzFeed announced a global expansion for ComplexCon. To Complex insiders, BuzzFeed's plan to take the event to Australia, Europe, and Asia simultaneously was unrealistic and under-resourced.

☆ BuzzFeed to cut 12% of its workforce
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Stefan Sykes | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The BuzzFeed website on a smartphone arranged in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York, on Monday, Dec. 6, 2021. BuzzFeed on Tuesday announced plans to cut its workforce by nearly 12%, or around 180 staffers. The company expects to cut most of the jobs by the end of the first quarter. Last year, BuzzFeed went public via a special purpose acquisition vehicle, and shares fell nearly 40% in their first week of trading. Peretti said Tuesday that he wants the company to invest "in areas that will drive growth" and build "a more robust creator business."

☆ Facebook's pivot to short-form video is a drag on BuzzFeed's revenue
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Elizabeth Pham Janowski | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Buzzfeed's ad revenue was flat year-over-year but ad revenue on its own properties grew. Facebook's shift to vertical video is causing issues for BuzzFeed, a publisher that has long relied on the platform to drive video views. The drop in Facebook traffic contributed to a big 32% year-over-year decline in time spent watching Buzzfeed's video content, according to Comscore. At the same time, Facebook is contributing less to BuzzFeed's revenue. Growth in ad revenue from BuzzFeed's owned and operated properties offset some of the declines on third-party platforms.

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