BuzzFeed, Inc. (Nasdaq: BZFD) today announced its go-forward model for employee equity compensation and incentives.
BuzzFeed founder and CEO Jonah Peretti is leading the way for this change, taking the majority of his compensation as a stock-based package—at the money options—and removing the bulk of his cash based-compensation.
The company is also extending stock incentives to senior executives across the organization. The strategic move provides stock options with a strike price at the current value, further aligning the leadership team with the interests of shareholders. With this compensation model, the team will only benefit from value creation thereby aligning with shareholders, as the executive team transforms the company and pushes the industry forward.
BuzzFeed Founder and CEO Jonah Peretti said of the change to the equity compensation model, “During inflection points, it’s best to organize ourselves like a startup, where we can act quickly, test, learn and grow. This compensation and incentive structure reflects our new organizational model as a leaner, faster, scrappier tech-first company.”
Peretti continued, “The internet goes through eras based on technological developments — first it was portals then search, then it was social, and now we’re entering the GenAI era. A lot of value is created at the beginning of each cycle. We are already seeing the early benefits of AI adoption, and I believe the next three years will offer an opportunity for significant value creation. That is why we are organizing ourselves like a startup and incentivizing our team over the next three years accordingly. We designed this program to align with our goal of creating lasting value for our shareholders.”
Further details are available in today’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC.
About BuzzFeed, Inc.
BuzzFeed, Inc. is home to the best of the Internet. Across pop culture, entertainment, shopping, food and news, our brands drive conversation and inspire what audiences watch, read, and buy now—and into the future. Born on the Internet in 2006, BuzzFeed is committed to making it better: providing trusted, quality, brand-safe news and entertainment to hundreds of millions of people; making content on the Internet more inclusive, empathetic, and creative; and inspiring our audience to live better lives.
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