Gizmodo, a well-established technology news and review site, has been acquired for the third time in the past eight years. This time, it has been purchased by European publisher Keleops, which aims to expand its coverage of the digital scene. The exact amount paid for Gizmodo in this deal was not disclosed by Switzerland-based Keleops in its announcement on Tuesday. Previously, Gizmodo was part of a $135 million deal in 2016 when Univision Communications acquired its previous owner, Gawker Media. Univision sold Gizmodo and satirical publication The Onion to Boston investment firm Great Hill Partners in 2019 for a price believed to be significantly lower than the 2016 deal. As a result, G/O Media was formed to oversee Gizmodo and other affiliated websites.
According to a memo from G/O Media CEO Jim Spanfelle, Gizmodo has been sold for a higher price than the previous sale to Univision in 2019. However, specific details were not provided. Spanfelle noted that this increase in valuation is a testament to the hard work of both the editorial teams and other areas of operations. The deal also includes a commitment to keeping Gizmodo’s staff intact. G/O Media recently sold The Onion to tech executive Jeff Lawson, who became a billionaire through his business software company, Twilio. Lawson is now asking Onion readers to donate $1 to help support the publication financially. On the other hand, Keleops CEO Jean-Guillaume Kleis, who founded his company ten years ago, plans to leverage the brand and reputation that Gizmodo has built over its more than 20 years of tracking technology, following a more traditional business strategy.
“The collaboration between Keleops’ expertise in digital technology and Gizmodo’s extensive content and editorial capabilities is expected to bring significant benefits to both our audiences and partners,” stated Kleis.
Gizmodo, based in New York, gained international attention in 2010 when it acquired an early prototype of Apple’s iPhone 4, which was claimed to be stolen by Apple’s late co-founder, Steve Jobs. Jobs, who passed away in 2011, also accused Gizmodo of attempting to extort Apple in order to return the device, leading to an apology from a Gizmodo editor. Local prosecutors in Silicon Valley did not press charges in relation to this incident.
Please note that this article has been updated to clarify that Keleops is based in Switzerland, not Paris, and that Gizmodo’s sale to Univision Communications in 2016 was part of a $135 million acquisition of its former parent company, Gawker Media.