Recode has been acquired by Vox Media. The company behind ultra-popular websites including SB Nation, The Verge and Polygon, has acquired Recode’s parent company, Revere Digital. The news was announced through a blog post
“We are thrilled to announce that Recode’s parent company, Revere Digital, is being wholly acquired by the highly respected digital-native media company Vox Media.”
The popular tech business news website, Recode, was launched only 18 months ago. Vox and Recode are promising that not much will change and the website will only be enhanced.
“So when the opportunity to work more closely with Recode arrived, it made perfect sense: Recode covers the business of technology better than any other publication in the world.”
One change, announced by The Verge’s Nilay Patel, is that Recode’s reviews team is moving to The Verge. We’ll have to wait and see what else Vox has in store for Recode.
Commentary
When I first heard the news about the acquisition, I sort of wondered why. I’ve been a longtime fan, and pretty loyal reader of The Verge since it began a few years ago. I also occasionally read Recode although not nearly as much as I read The Verge. I couldn’t help but question the move, as The Verge covers much of what Recode does, and is certainly capable of expanding what they cover.
I guess my question is, why can’t The Verge do it on their own? The two sites are pretty similar in many areas, which is something even Recode recognizes. In their blog post, they had the following to say:
“While the two sites occasionally overlap, we have focused on the business of tech, while The Verge has focused on covering tech from a lifestyle perspective.”
The only reason Vox Media wants Recode is so they control two of the most popular tech-centered websites. Whatever competition Recode had with The Verge has been neutralized.
[photo via Recode.net]