Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Daily Beast began publishing on the 6th of October 2008. The project was conceived by Tina Brown, a former editor of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker. The name was a literary nod to a fictional newspaper in Evelyn Waugh's novel Scoop.
Tina Brown founded The Daily Beast in 2008. She was a former editor of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker who had previously launched the short-lived Talk magazine. Brown aimed to create a platform that would dissect secret worlds and power structures.
The Daily Beast merged with Newsweek in 2010 to form The Newsweek Daily Beast Company. The partnership ended in 2013 when IAC sold Newsweek to IBT Media. Tina Brown stepped down as editor in September 2013 following the split.
John Avlon served as editor-in-chief and managing director of The Daily Beast from 2013 to 2018. Under his leadership, the site doubled its traffic to 1.1 million readers a day. Avlon defined the editorial focus as a strike zone encompassing politics, pop culture, and power.
In June 2019, The Daily Beast reporter Kevin Poulsen was accused of doxing Shawn Brooks. Poulsen revealed Brooks' identity for being the alleged creator of a fake video showing Nancy Pelosi speaking in a slurred manner. Brooks had raised more than $4,400 by the morning of the 3rd of June 2019 for legal costs.
IAC chairman Barry Diller hired Ben Sherwood as chief executive and publisher in April 2024. Joanna Coles was hired as chief creative and content officer at the same time. Employees were offered voluntary buyouts in May to cut costs.