The Outline (website)

The Outline
Type of site
 News and analysis
Available in English
Headquarters New York City, U.S.
Owner Joshua Topolsky
Website theoutline.com
Alexa rank Decrease 19,775 in the U.S. (October 2018)[1]
Commercial Yes
Registration None
Current status Active

The Outline is a New York-based digital media company focused on power, culture and the future. It was founded by Joshua Topolsky in 2016 who raised $5 million from several venture capitalists to start the company.[2]

The company does not want to be too reliant on social media distribution, but instead aims to reach a "smart, influential" readership who visit its website directly. The articles are visually interactive, and highly optimised for mobile.[3] The interface contains articles represented as a stack of cards that users can swipe through.[4] The company earns income by virtue of its partnerships with 10 to 12 companies a year, as opposed to reliance on a format employing traditional banner ads.

History

The Outline was founded in 2016 under a holding company named Independent Media with funding from RRE Ventures, Advancit Capital, Boat Rocker Ventures and Nextview Ventures. The company initially hired 10 employees and launched its website on December 5, 2016.[5][6][7] It currently has 26 employees, having recruited people from news media outlets like Vox Media, Vice News, and Buzzfeed.[8] In April 2017, The Outline introduced The Outline World Dispatch, a short daily podcast with news roundups.[9]

The company announced a second fund-raising in May 2018 of $5.15M[10], stating that it would use the money for "measured growth." U.S. broadcast television company TEGNA signed on as a new investor, having earlier announced a content partnership as part of the investment in February of 2018.[11]

In June 2018, The Outline let go of a writer and editor from its Power section. Joshua Topolsky, the website's founder and CEO, characterized the two as "underperforming employees."[12] However, he later apologized for his statement.

Later that year in September, the website did a small round of layoffs, letting go of its two full-time staff writers.[13] In an effort to reduce operating costs, the website planned to move its office into a co-working space.

Study Hall, a largely anonymous collective of freelance writers, expressed its disapproval with The Outline's layoffs. The group's members have pledged not to work with the website and encouraged others to follow its lead.[14]

References

  1. ↑ Alexa: TheOutline
  2. ↑ Shields, Mike (2016-08-01). "Joshua Topolsky, Former Verge Editor, Raises Funding for Digital Media Venture". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  3. ↑ "The Outline Is Making Visual, Interactive Content and Ads for a 'Post-Text' Internet". Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  4. ↑ "The Outline Has a Flashy New Design But a Traditional Business Model". Fortune. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  5. ↑ Shields, Mike (2016-12-05). "Former Bloomberg Editor Joshua Topolsky Launches 'The Outline'". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  6. ↑ "The Verge Co-Founder Josh Topolsky Is Raising Money to Launch a Media Startup". Recode. 2016-01-13. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  7. ↑ "One of the top former editors at Bloomberg has launched his new media venture 'The Outline'". Business Insider. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  8. ↑ "Vox Media veteran Josh Topolsky explains what digital media companies get wrong, and what his new publication plans to get right". Recode. 2016-08-02. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  9. ↑ "Why The Outline's New Daily Podcast Is Rounding Up a Different Kind of News". Adweek. Retrieved 2017-04-22.
  10. ↑ "The Outline Raises $5.15 Million to Fuel Measured Growth". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
  11. ↑ "TEGNA Announces Content Partnership with Independent Media". TEGNA. Retrieved 2018-02-28.
  12. ↑ "Founder of media startup The Outline downplays staff cuts". Fast Company. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
  13. ↑ "The Outline Cuts Staffers Months After $5M Funding Round". Observer. Retrieved 2018-09-04.
  14. ↑ "Freelancers Revolt Over Outline Layoffs, Say Site Exploits Labor". Observer. Retrieved 2018-09-11.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.