Quartz (publication)
On the 24th of September 2012, Quartz launched its website in New York City. The founding team included Kevin Delaney from WSJ.com and Zach Seward from the same organization. Gideon Lichfield joined as a global news editor from The Economist. Other editors came from Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal. Atlantic Media created the site to serve business people in the new global economy. It was designed primarily for mobile and tablet users. This approach marked a shift away from traditional desktop-first journalism models of that era.
Quartz established correspondents in Hong Kong, India, London, Los Angeles, Thailand, and Washington DC. By 2015, it had launched regional editions including Quartz India and Quartz Africa. The publication also released specific versions for Hong Kong, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates. Its staff reported from 115 countries while speaking 19 languages. In August, the website registered approximately 22 million unique users. Approximately 700,000 people subscribed to email newsletters like the flagship Daily Brief. This distribution allowed coverage across diverse economic regions without relying on a single headquarters.
Japanese company Uzabase acquired Quartz from Atlantic Media for $86 million in 2018. In October 2019, Apple removed the Quartz app from its Chinese App Store due to reporting on the 2019, 20 Hong Kong protests. Revenue fell sharply from $11.6 million in early 2019 to just $5 million by mid-2020. Staff members bought the site from Uzabase in November 2020. G/O Media purchased Quartz in April 2022. Ten of twelve newsroom employees were let go when Redbrick acquired the site in April 2025. These transactions reflected shifting market conditions and political pressures affecting digital media operations globally.
Quartz implemented a paywall system between 2019 and 2022 to generate direct revenue. Advertising spending declined significantly during this period. Revenue dropped from around $30 million in 2016 to $27.6 million as ad markets weakened. The organization employed 175 people while generating income through subscriptions and advertising. Financial instability forced multiple ownership changes over seven years. Revenue fluctuations demonstrated how reliance on traditional advertising models could destabilize digital-only newsrooms. The temporary paywall attempt showed mixed results before being abandoned entirely.
The publication structures content around phenomena called obsessions rather than standard beats. Articles range from short reports to long-form pieces without middle-ground options. Chartbuilder serves as the core tool for creating visual data representations. This platform forms the basis of Atlas, which other organizations like CNBC and NPR have adopted. The New Yorker and The Wall Street Journal also use similar charting tools. Quartz prioritizes visual storytelling alongside text-based reporting. This methodology distinguishes it from conventional business journalism formats that rely heavily on narrative alone.
In December 2024, a ChatGPT tool writing daily securities articles was shut down after publishing incorrect names and figures. The system sometimes attributed data belonging to one company to another completely different entity. By January 2025, Quartz expanded generative AI usage to publish longer articles with disclaimers about potential inaccuracies. A G/O Media spokesperson described these AI reporting tools as purely experimental. Some generated summaries mangled source material or presented AI slop as fact. Ten out of twelve newsroom staff were laid off shortly after these controversies emerged in early 2025.
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Common questions
When did Quartz launch its website and where was it based?
Quartz launched its website on the 24th of September 2012 in New York City. The founding team included Kevin Delaney, Zach Seward, and Gideon Lichfield from major news organizations like The Wall Street Journal and The Economist.
Who owns Quartz as of April 2025 and what happened to staff members during that acquisition?
Redbrick acquired Quartz in April 2025 and subsequently laid off ten out of twelve newsroom employees. This event followed a series of ownership changes involving Uzabase, G/O Media, and previous transactions dating back to 2018.
What specific regions did Quartz establish correspondents in by 2015?
Quartz established correspondents in Hong Kong, India, London, Los Angeles, Thailand, and Washington DC. By 2015, the publication had launched regional editions including Quartz India and Quartz Africa alongside versions for Japan and the United Arab Emirates.
How much revenue did Quartz generate in 2016 before financial instability forced multiple ownership changes?
The organization generated around $30 million in revenue in 2016 while employing 175 people through subscriptions and advertising. Revenue dropped to $27.6 million as ad markets weakened, leading to financial instability and multiple ownership changes over seven years.
Why did Apple remove the Quartz app from its Chinese App Store in October 2019?
Apple removed the Quartz app from its Chinese App Store due to reporting on the 2019 and 20 Hong Kong protests. This decision contributed to sharp revenue declines that fell from $11.6 million in early 2019 to just $5 million by mid-2020.