Quartz has laid off most of its editorial staff

Business publication Quartz, which has been sold off, has axed almost all of its editorial team, making it the latest media brand to see low-quality AI use precede mass layoffs, reports Maggie Harrison Dupre of Futurism.

Dupre writes, “The Gizmodo Media Group Union, which represents workers at G/O brands including Quartz, cited the Quartz slop in a powerful statement about the sale and mass firings.

“‘Jim Spanfeller has fired the editorial staff of Quartz after loading it up with AI slop and selling it to a Canadian firm,’ reads the statement. ‘It’s a new low for a company that has tried to disrespect, undermine, and exploit its newsroom at every turn.’

“‘G/O management’s most cynical display yet comes in the middle of negotiations for our next contract,’ the statement continues. ‘We’re heartbroken over the loss of more incredible colleagues as Spanfeller continues his race to the bottom and will continue fighting for a fair contract for those who remain.'”

Read more here.

Chris Roush

Chris Roush was the dean of the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut. He was previously Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Professor in business journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill. He is a former business journalist for Bloomberg News, Businessweek, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Tampa Tribune and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. He is the author of the leading business reporting textbook "Show me the Money: Writing Business and Economics Stories for Mass Communication" and "Thinking Things Over," a biography of former Wall Street Journal editor Vermont Royster.