Social media news publisher NowThis implemented layoffs on Thursday, impacting half of the staff.
Mike Madden, who led the outlet’s TikTok team, senior writer PJ Evans, and senior producer Jasmine Amjad have all been impacted by job cuts at NowThis.
After 8.5 years at NowThis, I was laid off today along with many of my talented colleagues. I’ve produced thousands of videos and connected w/ so many amazing people. It was rough finding this out at 1AM, but I am excited to see what’s next for me. Until then my DMs are open.
— Jasmine Amjad (@jamjad_) February 15, 2024
Hi I just got laid off from my job at NowThis. I’m locked out of my email and my computer so I didn’t even know until a coworker texted me. I worked there for 6+ years as a senior writer and I worked very hard there. I’ll post a bunch of stuff I worked on but I need a job 🙂
— pj (@pjayevans) February 15, 2024
In an internal memo to staff, obtained by the New York Times, NowThis leadership justifies the cuts as part of the “broader initiative to realign our resources and structure to ensure a long-term sustainable business in the evolving media landscape.”
“It was a strategic decision to align our workforce with current business needs and to ensure the long-term sustainability of the company,” the memo continued.
Leadership noted that the goal of the layoffs is not to increase the workload of remaining staffers saying, “We understand the importance of maintaining a balanced and manageable set of responsibilities.”
NowThis also laid out commitments to staffers including new expectations, support and resources, transparent communication, and minimizing the impact of the layoffs.
“Our priority is to minimize the impact on your day-to-day duties, ensuring that you can continue to perform effectively without significant disruptions,” the memo reads. “We aim for a smooth transition that respects your capacity and contributes to our shared goals.”
NowThis also noted that “At present, there are no plans for additional layoffs,” as the company plans to “stabilize our operations.”
According to the Writers Guild of America East members at NowThis, 26 out of 50 guild members were laid off.
“A few members initially became aware at 1:00 a.m. that they were locked out of their work laptops, email, and Slack,” the statement says of the layoff process. “Ultimately, people were notified officially via their personal emails.”
“Locking people out of their laptops at 1:00 a.m. certainly isn’t a professional or respectful approach to letting people know they’re no longer employed,” the guild statement continued.
The guild noted that they are “concerned about the direction the company is taking — away from editorial standards, as made especially clear by the gutting of the entire copy team, removal of published content, and major shift in coverage to attract advertisers.”
“Though half our unit is gone, our contract remains intact and will continue to protect us through future changes to the company,” the union added.
