Condé Nast
In 1909, Condé Montrose Nast purchased Vogue, a printed magazine that had launched in 1892 as a New York weekly journal of society and fashion news. Nast initially published the magazine under the corporate name Vogue Company before incorporating Condé Nast Publications as the holding company for his interests in 1922. He upgraded Vogue to become a top haute couture fashion authority by nurturing elite readers and advertisers rather than targeting the largest possible readership. This strategy established what is now considered the originator of the class publication type focused on particular social groups or interests instead of mass appeal. The portfolio expanded to include House & Garden, Vanity Fair which was briefly known as Dress and Vanity Fair, Glamour, and American Golfer published from 1908 to 1920. In 1916, the company introduced British Vogue, making Condé Nast the first publisher of an overseas edition of an existing magazine. A printing facility opened in Old Greenwich, Connecticut, in 1924 but closed in 1964 to make way for more centrally located sites capable of producing higher volumes. During the Great Depression, Condé Nast introduced innovative typography, design, and color with Vogue's first full color photograph by Edward Steichen featured on the cover in 1932. This marked the year when Condé Nast began replacing fashion drawings on covers with photo illustrations, an innovative move at the time. Glamour launched in 1939 was the last magazine personally introduced to the company by Nast before he died in 1942.
Samuel I. Newhouse bought Condé Nast for US$5 million in 1959 as an anniversary gift for his wife Mitzi who loved Vogue. He merged it with the privately held holding company Advance Publications. His son S.I. Newhouse Jr., known as Si, became chairman of Condé Nast in 1975. Under Newhouse, Condé Nast acquired Brides in 1959 and revived Vanity Fair in 1983 after it had been shuttered in 1936. The publication Self launched in 1979 added another title to the growing portfolio. At the outset of the new millennium in January 2000, Condé Nast moved from 350 Madison Avenue to 4 Times Square. The move was viewed as a significant catalyst for the redevelopment of Times Square. In the same year, Condé Nast purchased Fairchild Publications now known as Fairchild Fashion Media home to W and WWD from the Walt Disney Company. In 2001, Condé Nast bought Golf Digest and Golf World from The New York Times Company for US$435 million. On the 31st of October 2006, Condé Nast acquired the content aggregation site Reddit which later spun off as a wholly owned subsidiary of Condé Nast's parent company in September 2011. The company folded the women's magazine Jane with its August issue in 2007 and later shut down its website. One of Condé Nast's oldest titles, the American edition of House and Garden, ceased publication after the December 2007 issue. Portfolio, Mademoiselle and Domino were folded as well.
On the 20th of May 2008, the company announced its acquisition of a popular technology-oriented website called Ars Technica. On the 5th of October 2009, Condé Nast announced the closure of three of its publications: Cookie, Modern Bride, and Elegant Bride. Gourmet ceased monthly publication with its November 2009 issue but the brand was later resurrected as Gourmet Live an iPad app that delivers new editorial content in the form of recipes interviews stories and videos. In print, Gourmet continues in the form of special editions on newsstands and cookbooks. That same year, Condé Nast announced the launch of Love magazine a bi-annual British style magazine founded by fashion journalist Katie Grand. In 2020, Grand announced her departure and was replaced by Whembley Sewell. In July 2010, Robert Sauerberg became Condé Nast's president. In May 2011, the company was the first major publisher to deliver subscriptions for the iPad starting with The New Yorker. The company has since rolled out iPad subscriptions for nine of its titles. In September 2011, Condé Nast said it would offer 17 of its brands to the Kindle Fire. The company launched Conde Nast Entertainment in 2011 to develop movies television series and digital video programming. In May 2013, CNÉ's Digital Video Network debuted featuring web series for such publications as Glamour and GQ. Wired joined the Digital Video Network with the announcement of five original web series including the National Security Agency satire Codefellas and the animated advice series Mister Know-It-All.
In October 2015, Condé Nast announced that it had acquired Pitchfork. On the 14th of September 2015, the company announced Sauerberg as its new CEO with former CEO Charles H. Townsend taking the role of Chairman. S.I. Newhouse Jr. took the role of Chairman Emeritus in January 2016. In March 2018, Condé Nast announced the launch of the influencer-based platform Next Gen. The company's chief revenue and marketing officer Pamela Drucker Mann stated that the platform would feature both in-house and external talent with significant and meaningful social followings. In April 2019, Condé Nast appointed the former CEO of Pandora Media Roger Lynch as the company's first global CEO. It also sold the magazine Brides to the digital media company Dotdash and in May of the same year announced the sale of Golf Digest to Discovery Inc. In June of the same year, Condé Nast sold W to a new holding company Future Media Group. W editor Stefano Tonchi later sued the company for wrongful termination with Condé Nast suing Tonchi in response seeking the return of all monies paid to him during his period of disloyalty. They claimed he had acted as a faithless servant during the sale of W and had interfered with the sale to benefit himself. Roger Lynch was appointed CEO in April 2019 and in October 2019 announced plans to increase Condé Nast's revenue from readers.
In October 2013, the company ended its internship program after being sued by two former interns claiming they had been paid less than minimum wage for summer internships there. On the 14th of November 2015, the company moved into One World Trade Center in Manhattan where its headquarters are now located. In January 2024, union members from the company's publications set a strike for 24 hours aligned with the announcement of 96th Academy Awards nominees. They claimed that the company was engaging in regressive bargaining and breaking the law in bargaining by rescinding an offer that they had previously made around layoffs. Anne Hathaway walked out of a Vanity Fair photo shoot the same day January 23 in solidarity with the union. In December 2024, Condé Nast announced additional layoffs specifically targeting top executives at the company. In November 2023, Condé Nast announced it would be cutting about 5 percent of its workforce which would impact approximately 270 employees. Some reasons given were pressures from digital advertising decreasing social media traffic and shifting audience preferences towards short-form video content on platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts. In November 2025, the NewsGuild of New York filed an unfair labor practice charge against Condé Nast with the National Labor Relations Board on behalf of Condé United the union that represents most Condé Nast employees. The charge accused the company of wrongfully terminating four employees who were engaging in protected concerted activity when they confronted the company's head of human resources over layoffs at Teen Vogue.
Condé Nast is largely considered to be the originator of the class publication type focused on particular social groups or interests instead of targeting the largest possible readership. Its magazines focus on a wide range of subjects including travel food home and culture with fashion the larger portion of the company's focus. The company has expanded internationally with numerous editions across Europe Asia and Latin America. Architectural Digest appears in China España France Germany India Italia Latinoamérica México Middle East. Condé Nast Traveler operates in China España Germany India Italia Middle East UK. Glamour publishes in España Germany Latinoamérica México UK. British GQ and British GQ Style serve UK markets while GQ China GQ Style China GQ España GQ France GQ Germany GQ Style Germany GQ India GQ Italia GQ Japan GQ Latinoamérica GQ México GQ Taiwan reach global audiences. House & Garden (UK) and La Cucina Italiana (Italy) expand the brand footprint further. Tatler (UK) and The World of Interiors (UK) add depth to international offerings. Vanity Fair spans España France Italia London. British Vogue, Vogue Arabia, Vogue China, Vogue Film China, Vogue Plus China, Vogue Deutsch, Vogue España, Vogue France, Vogue India, Vogue Italia, Vogue Japan, Vogue Latinoamérica, Vogue Hombre Latinoamérica, Vogue México, and Vogue Taiwan demonstrate extensive global reach. Wired operates in Italia Japan Latinoamérica México UK.
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Common questions
When did Condé Nast purchase Vogue magazine?
Condé Montrose Nast purchased Vogue in 1909. The magazine had originally launched as a New York weekly journal of society and fashion news in 1892.
Who bought Condé Nast for US$5 million in 1959?
Samuel I. Newhouse bought Condé Nast for US$5 million in 1959 as an anniversary gift for his wife Mitzi who loved Vogue. He subsequently merged the company with Advance Publications.
Where is the current headquarters of Condé Nast located?
Condé Nast moved its headquarters to One World Trade Center in Manhattan on the 14th of November 2015. The company previously operated from 350 Madison Avenue before relocating to 4 Times Square in January 2000.
What was the reason for Condé Nast layoffs announced in November 2023?
Condé Nast announced it would cut about 5 percent of its workforce impacting approximately 270 employees due to pressures from digital advertising decreasing social media traffic and shifting audience preferences towards short-form video content on platforms like TikTok and YouTube Shorts.
When did Condé Nast acquire Reddit?
On the 31st of October 2006, Condé Nast acquired the content aggregation site Reddit which later spun off as a wholly owned subsidiary of Condé Nast's parent company in September 2011.