Prompt Cast
Jonah Peretti's Journey from Co-founding Huffington Post to BuzzFeed
TLDR Jonah Peretti co-founded The Huffington Post before co-founding BuzzFeed, where he focused on creating viral content and building a successful news business by publishing controversial but informative articles.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Jonah Peretti co-founded The Huffington Post, a news site that disrupted the journalism world.
05:24
Jonah Peretti's journey from teaching web design in New Orleans to studying at MIT eventually led him to co-found BuzzFeed, a company that now boasts a larger news team than most newsrooms in America.
09:59
Jonah Peretti's early email exchange with Nike about sweatshop labor went viral, sparking widespread attention and media coverage, leading him to question traditional media distribution models.
14:16
Jonah Peretti and his sister Chelsea created viral projects like the New York City rejection line and Black People Love Us, which attracted media attention and highlighted the power of internet distribution.
18:57
Jonah Peretti joined forces with others to start a business venture that eventually led to the creation of the Huffington Post, aiming to fill a gap in the left-wing media landscape online.
23:29
Jonah Peretti started BuzzFeed Labs to have the freedom to experiment and research the dynamics of media distribution and sharing that he couldn't explore while working at the Huffington Post.
28:45
Jonah Peretti started BuzzFeed Labs as a side project while working at the Huffington Post to experiment with using the internet to spread content and understand the dynamics of media distribution.
33:46
Jonah Peretti faced challenges in securing investments for BuzzFeed initially, with the turning point towards creating original content coming when they hired Ben Smith to expand their media offerings.
38:25
BuzzFeed built its news business during the election, and despite controversy, they believed it was the right decision to publish the Trump dossier to inform the public.
43:33
BuzzFeed's success was attributed to creating viral content that resonated with users' social needs and allowed for a unique connection through shared experiences.
48:18
Jonah Peretti values the investment in BuzzFeed for its long-term potential and acknowledges that luck plays a significant role in the success of startups.
53:46
Various acknowledgments and promotions for other podcasts and shows were made at the end of the episode.
Categories:
Business
