Vox Media shakes up leadership and lays off staff for the 2nd time in about a month

• Vox Media laid off at least 12 staffers at Vox.com, in the company's second round of cuts in about a month.
• The company also announced expanded duties for some top leaders.
• Vox Media faces challenges as advertisers move toward Big Tech platforms over news sites.

Vox Media laid off staff on Thursday for the second time in just over a month, this time at its general news and politics site Vox.com.

Vox Media didn't specify the number of people let go but said several teams were impacted in what was a "difficult but necessary step as the industry evolves." The Writers Guild of America, East, which represents the Vox newsroom, said the layoffs included 12 of its members. The Vox Media Union had 256 members across Vox Media sites before the new cuts.

Vox Media also announced a raft of leadership changes Wednesday, expanding duties for two top leaders as it looks to diversify its business. Pam Wasserstein was named copresident and vice chair of Vox Media and will serve as CEO Jim Bankoff's "strategic partner." She'll continue to oversee New York, Vox, and Vox Media Studios.

Revenue head Ryan Pauley also added responsibilities. He was named copresident, adding oversight of the lifestyle brands and the podcast business and production. He continues to oversee advertising, commerce, consumer revenue, and marketing.

"These changes will create clearer focus, faster decision making, and increased executive capacity for tackling larger strategic questions," Jim Bankoff wrote in a company email viewed by Business Insider. "This is particularly important given our complex, multi-brand environment."

In December, Vox Media laid off staff at its lifestyle titles Thrillist, PS (formerly Pop Sugar), and Eater and said that Thrillist would be operated by Eater going forward.

At the time, Bankoff said the company would focus on areas where it saw the most opportunity, including building direct audiences and its Vox Media Podcast Network. Vox Media also recently put its tech-focused property, The Verge, behind a paywall.

Vox Media grew out of the boom in digital media, raising more than $400 million from investors, including NBCUniversal and General Atlantic. It styled itself as the Condé Nast of digital, with a collection of websites devoted to news and lifestyle topics. Its last funding round was in 2023 when it raised $100 million from Penske Media in a deal that made Penske the biggest shareholder with 20%, The New York Times reported.

As investor interest in digital media soured generally, Vox Media rolled up other properties, including New York Magazine, Group Nine Media, and NowThis (which it later spun off).

Vox Media, along with many of its digital-media contemporaries, has faced challenges as digital advertisers flock to Big Tech platforms.

Here's Wednesday's full memo from Bankoff:

Team,

I hope that you all had restful time off over the holidays and were able to recharge. First, my thoughts are with everyone affected by the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles - please stay safe and vigilant as conditions develop. If you need support, please reach out to your People BP.

I'm writing to share an update on new responsibilities for Pam Wasserstein and Ryan Pauley. These changes are focused only at the leadership level, and do not impact any day-to-day operations.

Pam Wasserstein will expand her scope and grow our leadership capacity by serving as my strategic partner, as co-president and vice chair of Vox Media, working directly with me on strategic initiatives and areas of opportunity to best position our company in the changing and tumultuous media environment. In this role she will also work closely with Shyra Smart, our chief development and strategy officer, Sean Macnew, our CFO, and our general counsel Brian Leung, all of whom will continue reporting to me.

Already our company president and a member of our board since we merged with New York Media in 2019, Pam is also being elevated to vice chair. New York Magazine, Vox, and Vox Media Studios will continue to report up to Pam.

Ryan Pauley will also grow his responsibilities in the new position of co-president of Vox Media. Ryan is adding oversight of our lifestyle brands (Eater, Thrillist, PS), The Verge, Polygon, SB Nation, and The Dodo to his remit. Their group publishers will report to him. He will work closely with these leaders to continue to build industry-leading editorial brands.

The podcast business team led by Ray Chao, and the podcast production team led by Nishat Kurwa, will also report to Ryan. The advertising, commerce, and consumer revenue business lines, as well as marketing, will continue to separately report to Ryan.

Pam and Ryan have been invaluable partners to me as we've built this business in a rapidly shifting climate, and they both have a deep understanding and immense appreciation of our work. These changes will create clearer focus, faster decision making, and increased executive capacity for tackling larger strategic questions. This is particularly important given our complex, multi-brand environment. I believe that these expanded roles will best leverage Pam and Ryan's unique strengths and areas of expertise.

I look forward to working together this year to produce more outstanding work and achieve our ambitious goals. I am grateful, as always, for your contributions.

Jim