{"id":99176,"date":"2026-02-22T21:45:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T00:45:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tech.einnews.com\/article\/894636295"},"modified":"2026-02-22T21:45:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T00:45:16","slug":"how-private-equity-gutted-my-old-tech-media-newsroom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new7.shop\/zerocostfreehost\/index.php\/2026\/02\/22\/how-private-equity-gutted-my-old-tech-media-newsroom\/","title":{"rendered":"How private equity gutted my old tech media newsroom"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Whenever I tell people I used to work at ARN, I always have to clarify: not that<\/em> ARN.<\/p>\n

Nothing to do with Kyle and Jackie O \u2014 this was Australian Reseller News, a trade publication covering an under-the-radar but billion-dollar network of technology resellers and distributors.<\/p>\n

Today, however, ARN and its owner, global publishing company Foundry, are shadows of their former selves. Like many publishers, the business has passed through multiple private equity hands, with each sale stripping away at this small yet vital corner of the Australian media industry.<\/p>\n

When I first joined ARN seven years ago, its owner was still known as IDG Communications Australia, and the newsroom retained a real sense of hustle and bustle, producing the Australian editions of global mastheads like PC World, Computerworld and CIO.<\/p>\n

ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n

Only months earlier, the then-54-year-old business had been sold to China-headquartered Oceania Capital, the first of three private equity sales in as many years, followed by Blackstone and, most recently, Regent.<\/p>\n

And now, according to a recent report by Influencing<\/a>, ARN is effectively the last masthead standing, following yet another round of redundancies that over the last seven years all but obliterated IDG\u2019s once-thriving Australian operation.<\/p>\n

According to the report, and verified by Mumbrella, almost the entire local team has been let go, leaving only a skeleton group of editorial, sales, and event managers running what remains profitable: ARN\u2019s events.<\/p>\n

Private equity firms have one goal and one goal alone: quick profit. That quick profit is pursued through a familiar playbook of so-called operational \u201csynergies\u201d; essentially,  massive cuts, higher margins and then a sale.<\/p>\n

A deal with a private equity firm may look attractive to a beleaguered media owner, drawn by the promise of a quick payday, but for anyone who cares about the long-term future of their company, it\u2019s often a dead end.<\/p>\n

Another private equity firm, Red Ventures, shut down ZDNet\u2019s Australian operations in 2022<\/a> and recently demolished headcount across its US titles at Ziff Davis, including CNET, Mashable and Lifehacker.<\/a><\/p>\n

The fate of IDG\/Foundry and ZDNet could be awaiting Are Media, which was bought by Mercury Capital in 2020 and is now up for sale.<\/p>\n

This is the PE playbook facing Are:<\/p>\n