Axios has laid off 50 employees within the company, Deadline confirmed, about 10% of its 500-person workforce, as the company scales back in an increasingly competitive news market.
The Video That's Stunned the Business World | How Better.com's CEO Fired 900 Coworkers in the US
“This is the most challenging time for media in our lifetime,” the outlet’s CEO, Jim VandeHei, said in an email to employees obtained by Deadline. “Only those who act quickly — and take tough, decisive steps — will thrive. We will continue to recruit in key areas, but we cannot ignore the changes around us.” That includes competition, shifting attention and reader behavior, and new rivals targeting Axios’ core assets and top talent.
He noted that Facebook, X and search engines are no longer reliable sources of traffic information at the same time.
The layoffs are the first at Axios since it was launched in 2017 by VandeHei, a Politico co-founder, and Politico journalists Mike Allen and Roy Schwartz. The three continued to run Axios after it was sold to Cox Enterprises in 2022 and has continued to grow.
