Source: Eric Thayer/Getty
Employees at VICE have been told the media conglomerate is pulling out of online news and preparing a round of heavy layoffs.
On Thursday (Feb. 22), VICE News CEO Bruce Dixon sent out an internal memo informing employees that the media company will no longer publish on its flagship news site. “It is no longer cost-effective for us to distribute our digital content in the manner we have done in the past,” Dixon wrote. “As part of this change, we will no longer publish content on vice.com, instead placing greater emphasis on our social channels as we accelerate our discussions with our partners to get our content where it will be seen more widely.”
There was more to the astonishing development. “With this strategic shift comes the need to realign our resources and streamline our overall operations at VICE,” added Dixon. “Unfortunately, this means we will be reducing our workforce by eliminating several hundred positions. This decision was not taken lightly and I understand the significant impact it will have on those affected. Affected employees will be notified of next steps early next week, in accordance with local laws and practices.” The moves won't affect Refinery29, with the women's lifestyle brand and website acquired by Vice in 2019 continuing as a standalone business.
The news represents a stunning fall for VICE, which began as a publication covering punk rock and alternative music in Montreal in the 1990s founded by Suroosh Ali, Shane Smith and Gavin McInnes, who would go on to found the Proud Boys, the fascist organization aligned with the American far right. At its peak, the Brooklyn-based company delivered news in a highly independent format with correspondents around the world, in addition to original programming such as The most expensive hosted by 2Chainz and F—- This is delicious by Action Bronson. The “Easy Rider” rapper took to social media on Friday, saying, “I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE YOU KNOW I NEVER STOPPED MAKING REALLY TASTY F—K BECAUSE VICE WAS AWESOME.”
VICE representatives declined to comment when contacted by the press. The news comes amid several media groups announcing downsizing measures, including Pitchfork and GQ, and Complex Media being sold to e-commerce platform Ntwrk. They joined news outlets such as the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, CNN and ABC News that had begun their cuts in recent weeks and months.
