What Happened to Condé Nast?

Condé Nast, founded in 1909 by Condé Montrose Nast, established itself as a pioneer in 'class publications' with iconic titles like Vogue and Vanity Fair. For decades, it thrived by targeting affluent audiences with high-quality content and lavish events. The company was acquired by Samuel I. Newhouse in 1959, becoming part of Advance Publications, and continued to expand its global footprint and brand portfolio.

The 21st century brought significant disruption to the publishing industry, forcing Condé Nast to adapt. A key turning point was the appointment of Roger Lynch as the first global CEO in April 2019, which led to the merger of U.S. and international operations into a single global entity. This restructuring aimed to unify strategy and leverage global reach, while also involving the sale of several non-core brands like Brides and Golf Digest. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 further accelerated the need for digital transformation, with the company reporting a 45% drop in advertising revenues that year.

In recent years, Condé Nast has focused on a strategy of 'disciplined investment' in its strongest brands and diversified revenue streams. This has included significant layoffs, such as a 5% workforce reduction in November 2023 and additional cuts in December 2024 targeting top executives. The company also faced union challenges, including an unfair labor practice charge filed in November 2025 over alleged wrongful terminations related to layoffs. In October 2025, Condé Nast announced it would no longer feature new animal fur in its editorial content or advertising, following activist campaigns.

As of 2026, Condé Nast has continued to streamline its portfolio. In February 2026, it sold its LGBTQ+ digital site 'Them' to Equalpride. In April 2026, the company announced the closure of Self magazine as a standalone digital publication, the winding down of Glamour's publishing operations in Germany, Spain, and Mexico, and the cessation of Wired's print magazine in Italy. These decisions, while impacting a small percentage of overall revenue, were made because these brands remained unprofitable and limited investment in growth areas. Concurrently, there were further layoffs, with 16 roles cut across Self, Glamour, and Condé Nast Entertainment in April 2026, bringing the total union member losses to 33 in five months.

Despite these cuts, CEO Roger Lynch reported in March 2026 that Condé Nast closed 2025 with revenue growth and a fourth consecutive year of profit growth since 2020, with this momentum continuing into Q1 2026. Key growth drivers include a 10% increase in subscription revenue (29% for digital subscriptions), a 40% increase in tentpole events revenue in 2025 (with a projected 22% growth in 2026), and a 13% rise in commerce revenue. The company is also actively engaging with artificial intelligence, having signed agreements with OpenAI, Perplexity, Microsoft, and Amazon, and is running over seventy AI pilots internally. This AI strategy is crucial as Google search traffic to Condé Nast's websites has significantly declined, falling from a majority to approximately 25% by 2025 due to AI-generated summaries. Condé Nast's current status is one of strategic consolidation and innovation, focusing on its most powerful brands, direct audience relationships, and diversified revenue streams to ensure long-term profitability in a rapidly changing media landscape.