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— CH. 1 · DEPARTURE FROM THE GIANT —

The Verge

~4 min read · Ch. 1 of 7
7 sections

  • Between March and April 2011, nine staff members walked away from AOL to start a new venture. Joshua Topolsky led the group as editor-in-chief of the former Engadget site. He was joined by managing editor Nilay Patel and product developers Justin Glow and Dan Chilton. Other departing editors included Paul Miller, Ross Miller, Joanna Stern, and Chris Ziegler. These individuals sought independence from their parent company after years of working there. They announced an unnamed partnership with SB Nation in early April 2011. Jim Bankoff saw demographic overlap between sports fans and tech enthusiasts. He had previously worked at AOL during 2005 when they acquired Engadget. The move signaled a shift toward independent journalism and in-house content tools.

  • The Verge launched on the 1st of November 2011, with four million unique visitors and twenty million pageviews. Joshua Topolsky served as the founding editor until mid-2014 when Nilay Patel took over his role. Dieter Bohn held the position of executive editor starting that same year. Helen Havlak became editorial director in mid-2017. Walt Mossberg joined the editing team after Vox Media acquired Recode in 2015. In March 2022, Dieter Bohn resigned to take a new position at Google. The leadership changes reflected evolving strategies within the technology news landscape. Tom Warren arrived as United Kingdom based senior editor following the launch. Katie Drummond led the effort for the new science section called Verge Science in 2013.

  • Vox Media used its proprietary Chorus system from the site's inception until the 28th of January 2025. On that date, The Verge switched to WordPress for all publishing operations. A visual redesign occurred during the fifth anniversary in November 2016 featuring a modified Penrose triangle logo. Another rebranding happened in September 2022 with sharper lines and more colorful visuals. The new homepage format resembled a social media feed incorporating external conversations. Advertising models shifted from display ads matched to articles toward partnerships adjusted to user behavior by 2016. These technical transitions aimed to improve performance and adapt to changing reader habits over time.

  • The inaugural episode of The Vergecast aired on the 4th of November 2011, including a video stream of hosts. A second weekly podcast launched on the 8th of November 2011 focusing primarily on mobile phones. Ctrl-Walt-Delete began hosting in September 2015 under Walt Mossberg before concluding in June 2017. Decoder with Nilay Patel started on the 8th of August 2015 and now releases two episodes per week since the 8th of February 2024. Why'd You Push That Button? ran from the 17th of October 2017 until the 15th of July 2020 co-hosted by Ashley Carman and Kaitlyn Tiffany. The Verge Mobile Show appeared among iTunes best podcasts of 2015. The site won Best Podcast awards at the Webby Awards for 2012 recognizing their audio output quality.

  • On the 6th of August 2011, co-founder Marty Moe announced plans for The Verge Show web television series. The first episode recorded on Monday, the 14th of November 2011 featured guest Matias Duarte. Ten episodes aired between late 2011 and the 10th of November 2012 before returning under a new format in May 2013. Verge Video launched on the 8th of May 2013 to host video backlogs from previous shows. Next Level debuted in 2017 hosted by Lauren Goode winning recognition at the 47th annual San Francisco Northern California Emmy Awards. Space Craft started that same year with science reporter Loren Grush hosting. By January 2019, Verge Science YouTube channel had over 638,000 subscribers and thirty million views total.

  • In September 2018, The Verge published an article about building custom PCs alongside a companion YouTube video titled How we Built a $2000 Custom Gaming PC. Host Stefan Etienne made errors including applying excessive thermal paste onto processors during assembly steps. An online harassment campaign followed against Etienne after the video surfaced publicly. Lawyers from Vox Media filed DMCA takedown notices in February 2019 requesting removal of critical videos alleging copyright infringement. YouTube removed two videos uploaded by BitWit and ReviewTechUSA while issuing strikes against those channels. Nilay Patel later requested reinstatement of the videos though he agreed with the legal argument for their initial removal. Linus Sebastian collaborated with Etienne nearly three years later to fix the build on camera.

  • December 2024 marked when The Verge began paying walling some content behind a subscription service offering premium reports and newsletters. Initial rates were set at seven dollars per month or fifty dollars annually according to a blog post by Patel. The move aimed to ensure survival amid increasingly difficult market conditions for rigorous independent journalism. Fewer advertisements accompanied the paid tier along with other exclusive features available to subscribers. This strategic shift represented a significant departure from previous free access models used since launch. The decision reflected broader industry trends toward direct reader support rather than reliance solely on advertising revenue streams.

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Common questions

When did The Verge launch and how many visitors did it attract initially?

The Verge launched on the 1st of November 2011 with four million unique visitors and twenty million pageviews. Joshua Topolsky served as the founding editor until mid-2014 when Nilay Patel took over his role.

Who founded The Verge and what was their previous affiliation before leaving AOL?

Nine staff members including Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Justin Glow, Dan Chilton, Paul Miller, Ross Miller, Joanna Stern, and Chris Ziegler left AOL to start The Verge in early April 2011. They sought independence from their parent company after years of working there.

What technology platform did The Verge use for publishing operations until January 2025?

Vox Media used its proprietary Chorus system from the site's inception until the 28th of January 2025. On that date, The Verge switched to WordPress for all publishing operations.

Which podcast won Best Podcast awards at the Webby Awards for 2012?

The inaugural episode of The Vergecast aired on the 4th of November 2011 and the site won Best Podcast awards at the Webby Awards for 2012 recognizing their audio output quality. Decoder with Nilay Patel started on the 8th of August 2015 and now releases two episodes per week since the 8th of February 2024.

Why did The Verge begin charging subscribers in December 2024?

December 2024 marked when The Verge began paying walling some content behind a subscription service offering premium reports and newsletters. Initial rates were set at seven dollars per month or fifty dollars annually according to a blog post by Patel.

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73 references cited across the entry

  1. 1newsNBCUniversal takes $200 million stake in Vox MediaChris Woodyard — 12 August 2015
  2. 2webWith The Verge, SB Nation looks beyond just gadgetsDaniel Roberts — CNN — October 26, 2011
  3. 3magazineVox Media Acquires Tech News Site Re/codeJulia Greenberg — May 26, 2015
  4. 4newsThree lessons news sites can take from the launch of The VergeJoshua Benton — Nieman Foundation for Journalism — 1 November 2011
  5. 5newsThe Outline and the curse of media venture capitalMathew Ingram — 13 September 2018
  6. 6webA Closer Look At Chorus, The Next-Generation Publishing Platform That Runs Vox MediaEric Eldon — TechCrunch — May 7, 2012
  7. 7newsScoop: Vox Media drops its own CMSSara Fischer — Axios Media Inc. — 18 July 2023
  8. 8webNilay Patel becomes Editor-in-Chief of The Verge, Dieter Bohn is Executive EditorVox Media — 2013
  9. 9journalThe Verge Names Helen Havlak Editorial Director, Promotes 3Corinne Grinapol — June 19, 2017
  10. 10webSearching for the vergeWinners.WebbyAwards.com
  11. 11webPeople's Voice Winner, Nominee: The Verge's Vergecast2013
  12. 12webExclusive: Engadget's Top Editors Topolsky and Patel Exit From AOL's Giant Tech SiteKara Swisher — March 12, 2011
  13. 13newsNo Longer Shackled by AOLDavid Carr — April 3, 2011
  14. 14webEngadget Editor Paul Miller Resigns Over 'The AOL Way'Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry — February 19, 2011
  15. 15webSB Nation Sacks AOL in Raid of Former Engadget Team for Competing New Tech Site, As AOL Zeroes in on New EiCKara Swisher — April 3, 2011
  16. 16webEngadget's Topolsky, Former Editors Starting New Rival Tech SiteChloe Albanesius — Ziff Davis — April 4, 2011
  17. 17webAOL Loses Original Engadget Team to SB NationChris Rovzar — New York Media — April 4, 2011
  18. 18webStaff of AOL's Engadget Leaving en MasseEmma Bazilian — Prometheus Global — April 4, 2011
  19. 19newsEngadget Defectors Already Scooping Former Employer Aol with New SiteUjala Sehgal — May 4, 2011
  20. 20webAOL Defector Blasts 'Content Farming' and 'SEO Spam'Jeff Bercovici — April 4, 2011
  21. 21webEngadget Editors Quit AOLHenry Blodget — March 12, 2011
  22. 22webThe Engadget Team Is Starting A New Tech Blog Under SB NationJay Yarow — April 3, 2011
  23. 23webWith Deep Pockets, SB Nation is "Building a Great Media Company" – Launches Interim Site for ex-Engadget Crew, Sets up Shop in NYCbeet.tv — May 1, 2011
  24. 24newsVox Media Names First COO as Focus Turns to Video, Native AdsGerry Smith — Bloomberg L.P. — February 6, 2017
  25. 25webThe Verge Is ComingRichard Edelman — Edelman — August 2, 2011
  26. 26magazineBest Blogs of 2011: This Is My NextHarry McCracken — June 6, 2011
  27. 27webWelcome to This Is My Next, your buying guide for the futureVox Media — June 11, 2014
  28. 28webBuying Guide - The VergeVox Media
  29. 29webThe Raid on AOL: How Vox Pillaged Engadget And Founded An EmpireKevin Lincoln — January 9, 2012
  30. 30webSay hello to our new UK senior editor, Tom Warren of WinRumors!Joshua Topolsky — 13 December 2011
  31. 31journalThe Verge Launches Verge Science, Names Wired's Katie Drummond EditorAlexander C. Kaufman — April 17, 2013
  32. 32newsBloomberg Hires a Founder of The Verge to Lead Online InitiativesRavi Somaiya — July 24, 2014
  33. 33webAs The Verge turns five, here's how it's thinking about building a news site for the distributed ageJoseph Lichterman — Nieman Foundation for Journalism — 1 November 2016
  34. 34newsWelcome to Verge 3.0November 1, 2016
  35. 35newsA high-level editor at a top tech blog secretly worked for Apple for monthsBiz Carson — September 23, 2016
  36. 36journalThe Verge Is Rethinking the Way Tech Product Reviews Are Done With GuidebookCorinne Grinapol — July 24, 2017
  37. 37newsHow Vox Media's Verge Science is growing on YouTubeTim Peterson — January 7, 2019
  38. 38webA heartfelt farewell from Dieter BohnDieter Bohn — 2022-03-04
  39. 39webThe Verge goes after Twitter with new redesignSara Fischer — 2022-09-13
  40. 40webThe Verge Adds a Subscription with Metered Paywall: Fewer Ads, More Value for ReadersKathy Greenler Sexton — 2024-12-03
  41. 41webThe Verge raises a partial paywall: 'It's a tragedy that garbage is free and news is behind paywalls'Max Tani — December 3, 2024
  42. 42newsHere we go: The Verge now has a subscriptionNilay Patel — 3 December 2024
  43. 43newsThe VergeCast, live at 6:30PM ET / 10:30PM GMT!Nilay Patel
  44. 44webThe Verge Mobile Podcast 001 – 11.09.2011Trent Wolbe — November 9, 2011
  45. 45webThe Verge Mobile Podcast, live at 4:30PM ET / 9:30PM GMT!Vlad Savov — November 8, 2011
  46. 46webThe Verge Mobile Show2014-03-25
  47. 47journalThe Verge Comes Up with the Podcast Name of the YearRichard Horgan — September 25, 2015
  48. 48webVox Media in the News: Week of December 21, 2015Andrea Rogoff — Vox Marketing — December 22, 2015
  49. 49newsPixel Buds review, OnePlus 5T, and iPhone X a few weeks laterAndrew Marino — November 17, 2017
  50. 50newsWinners of the 2018 Podcast AwardsOctober 1, 2018
  51. 51web2018 Podcast Awards WinnersPeople's Choice Podcast Awards
  52. 52webDecoder
  53. 53webWelcome to the first Thursday Decoder.Nilay Patel — 2024-02-08
  54. 54webWe’re launching a new show!David Pierce — 2025-09-22
  55. 55webHow AT&T created the most iconic phone everDavid Pierce — 2026-04-12
  56. 56news'On The Verge' arrives on Monday, November 14th with Matias DuarteChad Mumm — November 7, 2011
  57. 57webOn The VergeNovember 10, 2012
  58. 58newsOn The Verge is coming backMay 24, 2013
  59. 59webIntroducing Verge VideoVox Media — May 8, 2013
  60. 60newsVox Media Tries Something Old on Something NewJohn Herrman — April 24, 2016
  61. 61news'We've learned a playbook': How The Verge used Facebook video to grow Circuit BreakerMax Willens — October 6, 2017
  62. 62journalUSA and The Verge Team Up for a Weekly Live Digital Mr. Robot AftershowJason Lynch — July 11, 2016
  63. 63newsBRIEF-Vox Media and Twitter parterning to live stream CES programs hosted by The VergeDecember 15, 2016
  64. 64newsVox Media Draws Inspiration From Editorial Brands for New Series SlateNatalie Jarvey — May 8, 2017
  65. 65web47th Annual Northern California Area Emmy Award Nominations AnnouncedSan Francisco / Northern California Emmy Awards — May 29, 2018
  66. 66newsOur new video series Space Craft launches next weekLoren Grush — Vox Media — August 11, 2017
  67. 67webThe Future of, the Verge's new show, is streaming on NetflixJune 13, 2022
  68. 68webThe Verge issues copyright claims against multiple YouTube videos criticizing its infamous PC build videoSam Medley — Notebookcheck — February 15, 2019
  69. 69webA note about YouTube copyright strikes from Vox MediaNilay Patel — February 15, 2019
  70. 70webVox Media targets YouTuber that parodied The Verges terrible PC build videoShawn Knight — TechSpot — February 14, 2019
  71. 71webVox lawyers briefly censored YouTubers who mocked The Verge's bad PC build adviceTimothy B. Lee — February 20, 2019
  72. 72newsCreator of the Verge's infamous PC building video revisits where it all went wrongAndy Chalk published — 2021-09-08
  73. 73av mediaFixing The Verge PC Build - feat. Stefan EtienneLinus Tech Tips — 2021-09-07