Short answers, pulled from the story.
Ziff Davis traces its founding to 1927, when Bernard George Davis joined William B. Ziff and the company launched Popular Aviation magazine. The predecessor advertising agency, the William B. Ziff Company, had been operating since 1920, but 1927 is the date the company itself gives as its founding year.
Ziff Davis was founded by William Bernard Ziff Sr. and Bernard George Davis. Ziff had previously run a Chicago advertising agency and had been an aviator in World War I; Davis joined after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh in 1927, where he had edited the school's humor magazine.
Ziff Davis built its reputation as a publisher of enthusiast magazines, most notably PC Magazine, Computer Shopper, and Popular Electronics. Earlier in its history, the company also published Amazing Stories, a leading science fiction magazine, and a range of pulp and comic book titles.
Ziff Davis acquired IGN Entertainment from News Corporation on the 4th of February 2013, following its own sale to J2 Global in November 2012. Shortly after the IGN acquisition, Ziff Davis shut down the 1UP.com, UGO.com, and GameSpy.com sites to focus on IGN and AskMen as its flagship gaming brands.
PC Magazine ended its print run when Ziff Davis Media Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March 2008 and announced the discontinuation of the print edition as part of its restructuring. The magazine continued as an online publication under PCMag.com.
Ziff Davis sold Ookla to Accenture for $1.2 billion, announced on the 3rd of March 2026. The Ookla business unit included Speedtest.net, Ekahau, Downdetector, and RootMetrics.