BuzzFeed, Inc.
Nasdaq-listed digital media company behind BuzzFeed, HuffPost, and Tasty, controlled by founder Jonah Peretti through super-voting shares.
Company Type
public
Founded
2006
Headquarters
New York, New York, USA
Stock
Nasdaq: BZFD
Revenue
$185.3 million (FY2025)
Employees
Approximately 300 (post-restructuring estimate)
Primary Market
United States
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About BuzzFeed, Inc.
What does BuzzFeed, Inc. own?
BuzzFeed owns the BuzzFeed website, HuffPost, and the Tasty food network, plus BuzzFeed Studios and the Branch Office AI incubator. Former properties including Complex Networks, First We Feast, and BuzzFeed News have been sold or closed.
Is BuzzFeed publicly traded?
Yes. BuzzFeed trades on the Nasdaq under ticker BZFD, having gone public in December 2021 through a SPAC merger. Founder Jonah Peretti controls the company through super-voting Class B shares.
Who founded BuzzFeed?
Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III founded BuzzFeed in 2006 in New York City. Peretti, who earlier co-founded The Huffington Post, has served as CEO for the company's entire history.
Where is BuzzFeed headquartered?
BuzzFeed is headquartered in New York City, where it has been based since its founding. Its physical footprint has contracted substantially along with the business through successive restructurings.
How many brands does BuzzFeed own?
The company operates three core media properties, BuzzFeed, HuffPost, and Tasty, plus studios and incubator operations. At its peak the portfolio was considerably larger before divestitures and shutdowns.
Who owns BuzzFeed?
BuzzFeed is a public company whose shares trade on Nasdaq, but founder Jonah Peretti holds voting control through Class B super-voting stock. Verizon Media retains a minority stake from the HuffPost acquisition.
History of BuzzFeed, Inc.
Jonah Peretti, who had co-founded The Huffington Post in 2005, started BuzzFeed in 2006 in New York's Chinatown with investor John S. Johnson III. The site began as a research lab for viral content, and its listicles and quizzes engineered for social sharing grew into one of the most imitated formats in publishing.
Venture funding from Lerer Hippeau, Andreessen Horowitz, NBCUniversal, and others fueled expansion through the 2010s. BuzzFeed News launched in 2012 and developed into a serious journalism operation that won the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting in 2021 for coverage of China's detention of Muslim minorities.
Acquisition strategy brought The Huffington Post, rebranded HuffPost, from Verizon Media in November 2020, and the December 2021 SPAC merger with 890 5th Avenue Partners took the company public while folding in Complex Networks. The public debut valued it around $1.5 billion.
The decline was steep. Advertising markets weakened, the stock lost most of its value, and a retrenchment began: BuzzFeed News closed in 2023, multiple layoff rounds cut the workforce from more than 2,000 to roughly 300, Complex Networks sold to NTWRK in 2024 for about $108 million, and UK operations for BuzzFeed, Tasty, and HuffPost were licensed to Independent Digital News and Media. Fiscal 2025 revenue of $185.3 million was down 2.4 percent, with a net loss of $57.3 million that included a $30.2 million goodwill impairment, though adjusted EBITDA improved 61 percent. Management has said it is exploring strategic options to complete the restructuring.
BuzzFeed, Inc. Sustainability & Ethics
As a media company, BuzzFeed's environmental footprint is minimal, limited to offices and data infrastructure. Its sustainability posture is not a material factor in evaluating the company, and it holds no major independent ESG certifications.
The more relevant dimension is editorial and labor ethics. The BuzzFeed News shutdown and successive layoffs drew sustained criticism over severance and treatment of journalists, and unionized staff staged a walkout over contract terms in 2024. The company's stated values around journalism have been tested by the economics that forced the news division's closure.
Controversy, Regulation & Public Scrutiny
BuzzFeed's controversies span editorial practice, workplace culture, and labor relations. Early in its history the company faced recurring criticism and litigation over aggregation practices that used others' content without adequate attribution or payment, settling several copyright disputes.
The 2023 BuzzFeed News closure generated significant backlash over the handling of a Pulitzer-winning newsroom, with staff learning of the shutdown through reports before formal notice. Labor disputes have been persistent: BuzzFeed News staff unionized in 2019, and contract fights and a 2024 walkout marked the relationship between management and its remaining journalists.
A 2017 report documented a workplace culture involving heavy drinking and inappropriate conduct at company events, prompting HR complaints and executive changes. None of the company's controversies produced regulatory sanctions.
Brands Owned by BuzzFeed, Inc.
BuzzFeed, Inc. owns 1 brand in our database. Explore the ownership tree below — click categories to expand and see individual brands.
BuzzFeed, Inc.
public · Founded 2006 · New York, New York, USA
1
brands
Stock Information
BuzzFeed, Inc. Ownership: Pros & Cons
Advantages
- +Founder control through super-voting shares prevents hostile strategic changes
- +Lean portfolio concentrates on the most commercially viable assets
- +Programmatic and commerce revenue streams scale without large sales operations
- +Debt reduction of more than 65 percent improved the balance sheet
- +Studios and AI incubator offer optionality beyond display advertising
Considerations
- -Market capitalization below $50 million reflects a severely diminished enterprise
- -Continuing net losses raise questions about the public company structure's viability
- -Heavy revenue concentration on Amazon affiliate relationships creates platform risk
- -Super-voting control insulates management from pressure for structural change
- -Brand value has declined with traffic, staff, and editorial credibility
Frequently Asked Questions About BuzzFeed, Inc.
What does BuzzFeed, Inc. own?
BuzzFeed owns the BuzzFeed website, HuffPost, and the Tasty food network, plus BuzzFeed Studios and the Branch Office AI incubator. Former properties including Complex Networks, First We Feast, and BuzzFeed News have been sold or closed.
Is BuzzFeed publicly traded?
Yes. BuzzFeed trades on the Nasdaq under ticker BZFD, having gone public in December 2021 through a SPAC merger. Founder Jonah Peretti controls the company through super-voting Class B shares.
Who founded BuzzFeed?
Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III founded BuzzFeed in 2006 in New York City. Peretti, who earlier co-founded The Huffington Post, has served as CEO for the company's entire history.
Where is BuzzFeed headquartered?
BuzzFeed is headquartered in New York City, where it has been based since its founding. Its physical footprint has contracted substantially along with the business through successive restructurings.
How many brands does BuzzFeed own?
The company operates three core media properties, BuzzFeed, HuffPost, and Tasty, plus studios and incubator operations. At its peak the portfolio was considerably larger before divestitures and shutdowns.
Who owns BuzzFeed?
BuzzFeed is a public company whose shares trade on Nasdaq, but founder Jonah Peretti holds voting control through Class B super-voting stock. Verizon Media retains a minority stake from the HuffPost acquisition.
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