Backlash at Business Insider
On Wednesday morning, Jamie Heller finally faced the newsroom.
Nearly a week after Business Insider laid off 21% of its staff in a seismic restructuring—the third major reduction in less than two years—the newish editor-in-chief took the stage at the company’s headquarters in downtown Manhattan for a long-awaited all-hands meeting. Chairs in the meeting room were plastered with flyers from the Insider Union listing demands on A.I. policy. The room was full. Remote staffers tuned in via live stream.
Heller opened with prepared remarks acknowledging the “challenging week” and emphasizing her confidence in the Axel Springer-owned publication’s future. “I feel 1,000% even more confident than I did when I came and stood here before you on September 30,” she said. “Why? Because I’ve worked with all of you and I see the talent in this newsroom.”
This story is based on interviews with Business Insider staffers, an audio recording of the meeting, and internal Slack messages reviewed by Status.
While Heller had kind words for the staff, inside the newsroom, the meeting did not land well—to put it generously. After Heller spent a few brief moments acknowledging last week’s painful cuts…
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