The re-re-launch of Gawker took place Wednesday and among the inaugural posts was one trying to determine how much money owner Bryan Goldberg has.
Goldberg, who owns Bustle Digital Group, to which Gawker has belonged since 2018, did not actually answer his reporter’s question, but gave a long, meandering answer that said Gawker could “still f— it all up” for him.
“There is exactly one thing that could still f— it all up for me and cost me every dime of my considerable fortune: Gawker. If there is one website that could get me sued into oblivion, then it is almost certainly Gawker. Let’s face it — do we think that Bustle or Nylon Magazine is going to pick a petty and ill-conceived fight with a deca-billionaire? Probably not,” he said.
Gawker Is Set for Relaunch – Again
His statement was, of course, a reference to how the original Gawker was taken down the first time: Gawker Media was forced into bankruptcy in 2016 after losing a Florida lawsuit brought by ex-pro wrestler Terry Bollea (a.k.a. Hulk Hogan) and his billionaire backer Peter Thiel. Goldberg purchased Gawker for $1.35 million in a bankruptcy court auction in July 2018.
BDG’s initial attempt to resurrect the site was put on hold indefinitely in July 2019 and all staffers were laid off.
The company declined to give many details at the time, but in a statement provided to TheWrap, a spokesperson said: “We can confirm that we are postponing the Gawker launch. For now, we are focusing company resources and efforts on our most recent acquisitions, Mic, The Outline, Nylon and Inverse.”
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