People Inc.

{{Short description|American digital media company}} {{Redirect|About Group|the English rock band|About Group (band)}} {{Redirect|Byrdie|people named Byrdie|Birdie (given name)}} {{for|the non-profit in Western New York providing services to seniors|People Inc. (Western New York)}} {{Copy edit|date=October 2025}} {{Use American English|date=April 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=December 2011}} {{Infobox company | name = People Inc. | logo = People Inc logo.svg | former_name = {{ubl|The Mining Company (1997–1999)|About Inc. (1999–2017)|Dotdash (2017–2021)|Dotdash Meredith (2021–2025)}} | type = Subsidiary | founder = Scott Kurnit | industry = Digital media | predecessors = {{ubl|Meredith Corporation|Time Inc.}} | revenue = | owner = | parent = {{ubl|PriMedia (now Rent Group) (2000–2005)|The New York Times Company (2005–2012)|IAC (2012–present)}} | website = {{URL|people.inc}} | founded = {{start date and age|1997|4|21}} (as The Mining Company) | hq_location_city = New York City | hq_location_country = U.S. | key_people = {{ubl|Barry Diller, Neil Vogel (CEO)|Alex Ellerson<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dotdash.com/our-team/|title=Team – Dotdash|website=Dotdash.com}}</ref> (COO)}} }} '''People Inc.''' (formerly '''The Mining Company''', '''About.com''', '''Dotdash''' and '''Dotdash Meredith''') is an American digital media company based in New York City. It publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, lifestyle, travel, and education.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dotdash.com/|title=Dotdash|website=Dotdash.com |access-date=2018-08-27}}</ref>

==Overview==  The firm operates 40 brands, including the flagship title ''People'', ''Life'', ''Food & Wine'', ''Travel + Leisure'', ''Better Homes and Gardens'', Verywell, Allrecipes, ''Real Simple'', Investopedia, ''Southern Living'', Byrdie, Serious Eats, '''The Spruce''', EatingWell, ''Health'', ''Parents'', ''InStyle'', Simply Recipes, ''Entertainment Weekly'', and ''Martha Stewart Living''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our Brands |url=http://www.dotdash.com/our-brands/ |publisher=Dotdash |archive-date=January 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124031439/https://www.dotdash.com/our-brands/ }}</ref>

In August 2012, About.com became a property of IAC,<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Dreyfuss |first=Emily |date=May 3, 2017 |title=RIP About.com: A Look at the Tumultuous Life of a Web Legend |url=https://www.wired.com/2017/05/rip-com-look-tumultuous-life-web-legend/ |magazine=WIRED |access-date=2018-02-21 }}</ref> owner of Ask.com and numerous other online brands, and its revenue is generated by advertising. In addition to its Manhattan headquarters, Dotdash Meredith maintains offices elsewhere in the New York metropolitan area, as well as in Des Moines, Iowa, and Birmingham, Alabama.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dotdash |url=http://www.dotdash.com/ |publisher=Dotdash |access-date=2020-12-30 }}</ref>

It took its Dotdash Meredith name in 2021 after IAC acquired Meredith Corporation, which had itself acquired and absorbed Time Inc. in 2018. Time had merged with Warner Communications in 1990 to form Time Warner (TW), but was spun off as a publicly traded company in 2014. TW kept its legal name until being acquired by AT&T in 2018 and being renamed WarnerMedia (and Warner Bros. Discovery in 2022).

==History== ===1997–2005: Launch, renaming, Primedia acquisition=== Founded in 1996 as The Mining Company, the site was launched on April 21, 1997, by Scott Kurnit, owner of General Internet, Bill Day, and a group of other entrepreneurs in New York City.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Kushner |first=David |author-link=David Kushner (writer) |date=April 21, 1997 |title=Drilling Begins at The Mining Company |url=https://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,3272,00.html |magazine=WIRED |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040910143418/http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,3272,00.html |archive-date=September 10, 2004}}</ref> The original goal was to maintain 1,800 topic areas, but after five years of operation, this number was reduced to around 700.<ref name="Prim" />

In May 1999, the company changed its name to "About Inc." and the website name from "miningco.com" to "about.com".<ref>{{cite news |last=Fleming |first=Eric |date=May 17, 1999 |title=Miningco.com changes name to About.com |url=https://www.zdnet.com/article/miningco-com-changes-name-to-about-com/ |publisher=ZDnet}}</ref> The company was acquired by Primedia (now Rent Group), in 2000 through a deal valued at US$690 million, whereby Primedia swapped 45.2 million shares for About, Inc.'s 18.1 million shares. At the time of the acquisition announcement, About Inc. was measured at US$133 million in cash and no debt (September 30, 2000), while the Media Metrix company tallied 21 million unique monthly visitors—making it the seventh-most-visited "network of sites" at the time—a network of over 700 topic sites, sorted into 36 areas and 50,000 subjects, and approximately 4,000 advertisers. Following the purchase, which was finalized in the first quarter of 2001, the combined company was called "Primedia" and Kurnit remained chief executive officer (CEO).<ref name="Prim">{{cite news|title=Primedia buys About.com|url=https://money.cnn.com/2000/10/30/deals/pri/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20011207201257/http://money.cnn.com/2000/10/30/deals/pri/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 7, 2001|access-date=November 5, 2014|work=CNN Money|date=October 30, 2000}}</ref>

===2005–2012: Times Co. acquisition, Abang.com, About en Español=== In February 2005, The New York Times Company (Times Co.) announced it was buying About.com,<ref name=allthingsd-about/><ref name=NYT20050218>{{cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/18/business/media/18times.html |title=The Times Company Acquires About.com for $410 Million|author=Katharine Q. Seelye|work=The New York Times |date=February 18, 2005}}</ref> a purchase that was completed in the first half of the year for US$410 million.<ref>{{cite news|author1=David Teather|title=New York Times buys About.com |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2005/feb/18/media.pressandpublishing|access-date=November 5, 2014|work=The Guardian|date=February 18, 2005}}</ref> Google and Yahoo! were reportedly among the other bidders.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/08/technology/08deal.html |title=About.com, Primedia's Web Venture, Is for Sale|author=Katharine Q. Seelye|work=The New York Times|date=February 8, 2005}}</ref> Following the Times Co. acquisition, Peter C. Horan was appointed as About Inc.'s president and CEO, but he was soon replaced by Scott Meyer in May 2005.<ref>{{cite news|title=Times Co. Names About Inc. Chief |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/19/business/media/19times.html |access-date=September 26, 2010|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 19, 2005}}</ref>

In March 2007, About.com's patronage was measured at 33.5 million unique visitors. On May 7, 2007, About Inc. acquired ConsumerSearch.com—a site that generated 3 million unique monthly visitors during the first quarter of 2007—for US $33 million in cash following two other purchases that were made in the preceding eight-month period: UCompareHealthCare.com and Calorie-Count.com.<ref>{{cite news|title=About.com Buys ConsumerSearch.com|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/07/technology/07about.html|access-date=November 5, 2014|work=The New York Times|date=May 7, 2007}}</ref>

Initially conceived in January 2007, About.com's first fully owned foreign venture, the China-based Abang.com, debuted in December 2007.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Rafat Ali|title=About.com's China Entry: Abang.com|url=https://gigaom.com/2007/12/07/419-aboutcoms-china-entry-abangcom/|website=Gigaom|publisher=Gigaom, Inc|access-date=November 5, 2014|date=December 7, 2007|archive-date=November 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106013343/https://gigaom.com/2007/12/07/419-aboutcoms-china-entry-abangcom/|url-status=dead}}</ref> At the time of the launch, the company had a Japan-based online entity, Allabout.co.jp, but it functioned under a licensing agreement. By January 2008, the China site consisted of around 25 employees, as well as 80 guides who were responsible for article production within seven categories: Fashion, Food, Health, Hobbies, Pets, Digital, and Travel. As part of the localization process, the China initiative—led by Matt Roberts, who became the CEO of Abang.com, and Wen-Wei Wang, the vice president of technology for the launch—was named "Abang" because the Chinese character "bang" refers to the concept of a group or community.<ref>{{cite web|author1=piet walraven|title=Abang.com: Don't Bring Your Baggage to China|url=http://technode.com/2009/05/23/abang-donot-bring-your-baggage-to-china/|website=TechNode|access-date=November 5, 2014|date=May 23, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author1=Thomas Crampton|title=Exclusive: Matt Roberts on About.com's launch in China as Abang.com|url=http://www.thomascrampton.com/media/exclusive-matt-roberts-on-aboutcoms-launch-in-china-as-abangcom/|website=Thomas Crampton|access-date=November 5, 2014|date=January 14, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141105204721/http://www.thomascrampton.com/media/exclusive-matt-roberts-on-aboutcoms-launch-in-china-as-abangcom/|archive-date=November 5, 2014|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

The About Group generated US $102.7 million in 2007, which represented a 135% increase from the time of the Times Co. acquisition. Meyer stepped down from the chief executive role in March 2008 and was replaced by Cella Irvine, who previously worked for Hearst Corp. and Microsoft Corp.<ref>{{cite news|author1=Russell Adams|title=New York Times Names Irvine CEO of About|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB121323381723966703|access-date=November 5, 2014|work=The Wall Street Journal |date=June 12, 2008}}</ref> In April 2011, Irvine launched the About en Español website, which was About's first Spanish-language channel and initially featured nine topics, including movies and makeup, that were to be expanded by around 100 by the start of 2012. The launch was part of an overall strategy that included a redesigned About.com homepage, a doubling of the number of "how-to" and do-it-yourself videos on About.com's 24 channels, and new outlets on About.com for advertisers.<ref>{{cite press release |title=About.com To Expand Expert Premium Content |url=http://www.thestreet.com/story/11076595/1/aboutcom-to-expand-expert-premium-content.html |publisher=TheStreet.com |access-date=November 5, 2014 |date=April 8, 2011 |archive-date=November 5, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141105202908/http://www.thestreet.com/story/11076595/1/aboutcom-to-expand-expert-premium-content.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The significant impact of the Great Recession upon online advertising was experienced shortly after Irvine's appointment, and she was removed from the CEO role after three years and three consecutive quarters in which revenue decreased. Martin Nisenholtz, SVP of digital operations, temporarily replaced Irvine following her departure in May 2011.<ref>{{cite web|author1=David Kaplan|title=About Group CEO Irvine Out; NYTCo's Nisenholtz Will Run Unit|url=https://gigaom.com/2011/05/10/419-about-group-ceo-cella-irvine-out-nytcos-nisenholtz-will-will-run-unit/|website=Gigaom|publisher=Gigaom, Inc|access-date=November 5, 2014|date=May 10, 2011|archive-date=November 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141106013347/https://gigaom.com/2011/05/10/419-about-group-ceo-cella-irvine-out-nytcos-nisenholtz-will-will-run-unit/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In July 2011, Darline Jean was named CEO of the About Group, after the company's second-quarter revenues totalled US$27.8 million. Jean previously served as About's chief financial officer (CFO) and was promoted on September 1, 2011.<ref>{{cite news|title=About.com Gets New Chief Executive|url=http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/26/about-com-gets-new-chief-executive/ |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=February 7, 2014|first=Jeremy W.|last=Peters|date=July 26, 2011}}</ref>

===2012–2017: IAC acquisition, Neil Vogel appointment, relaunch=== A media report published in August 2012 indicated that Answers.com had reached a preliminary agreement to acquire About.com for US$270 million.<ref name=nyt-aboutsale>{{cite web|last=Kafka|first=Peter|title=The New York Times Is About to Say Goodbye to About.com |url=http://allthingsd.com/20120808/the-new-york-times-is-about-to-say-goodbye-to-about-com/|publisher=All Things Digital|access-date=August 9, 2012}}</ref> However, on August 26, Barry Diller's IAC announced that it would acquire About.com instead for US$300 million in cash.<ref>{{cite news|last=Gillette|first=Felix|title=About.com Will Rise Again, This Time With Sponsors|url=http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-10-22/about-dot-com-will-rise-again-this-time-with-sponsors|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024015056/http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-10-22/about-dot-com-will-rise-again-this-time-with-sponsors|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 24, 2013|access-date=February 7, 2014|newspaper=Bloomberg Businessweek|date=October 22, 2013}}</ref> A source for TechCrunch later confirmed that Answers.com's offer was reportedly valued at US$270 million, but consisted of debt and equity in Answers.com.<ref name="Tech">{{cite web|author1=Ingrid Lunden|title=Confirmed: IAC Has Bought About.com from ''The New York Times'' For $300M In Cash|url=https://techcrunch.com/2012/08/26/iac-is-buying-about-com-from-nyt-for-300m-deal-coming-either-tonight-or-tomorrow-source/ |publisher=TechCrunch |access-date=November 5, 2014|date=August 26, 2012}}</ref>

In the corresponding press release, IAC explained that the acquisition would help bolster and accompany its existing properties, such as the Ask.com web search engine.<ref name=allthingsd-about>{{cite web|title=Barry Diller Shows Up Late, Gets What He Wants: IAC to Buy About.com From New York Times for $300 Million|url= http://allthingsd.com/20120826/barry-diller-shows-up-late-gets-what-he-wants-iac-to-buy-about-com-from-new-york-times/|publisher=All Things Digital|access-date=August 27, 2012}}</ref> Jean fulfilled her role as chief executive during the transition period, while ownership was transferred to IAC, and then left About.com shortly after the sale was finalized.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Anthony Ha|title=Former About.com CEO Darline Jean Joins Ad Tech Company PulsePoint|url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/05/14/pulsepoint-hires-darline-jean/ |publisher=TechCrunch |access-date=November 5, 2014|date=May 14, 2014}}</ref> At the time of the IAC acquisition, which was signed on August 26, 2012, About.com consisted of nearly 1,000 topic sites and over three million unique articles, while, in traffic terms, Alexa Internet ranked the site as number 37 in the U.S. and 80 in the global context.<ref name="Tech" /><ref>{{cite web|title=Press releases - IAC's Ask.com Acquires The About Group from The New York Times Company|url=http://iac.com/media-room/press-releases/iacs-askcom-acquires-about-group-new-york-times-company|website=IAC|access-date=November 5, 2014|date=August 26, 2012}}</ref>

On April 2, 2013, Neil Vogel became the new CEO of About.com. Up until March 2003, Vogel was a key executive member of the marketing and media company Alloy Inc., a role that he left to cofound the Recognition Media marketing business that is responsible for producing the annual Webby Awards event, as well as the Internet Week NY and Europe events.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://allthingsd.com/20130402/webbys-master-neil-vogel-is-about-coms-new-ceo/|author=Peter Kafka|title=Webbys Master Neil Vogel Is About.com's New CEO|publisher= All Things Digital|date=April 2, 2013 |access-date=February 2, 2014}}</ref> Vogel was selected by ''Business Insider'' for its 2012 "The Coolest People In New York Tech This Year" list, for his work as a venture partner of FirstMark Capital.<ref>{{cite web|title=Executive Profile Neil I. Vogel |url=http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=232601&privcapId=109866&previousCapId=109866&previousTitle=CampusU,%20Inc.|website=Bloomberg Businessweek|publisher=Bloomberg L.P|access-date=November 5, 2014|date=November 5, 2014}}{{dead link|date=April 2023|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=ALYSON SHONTELL|title=THE SILICON ALLEY 100: The Coolest People In New York Tech This Year|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/sa-100-2012?op=1|website=Business Insider|publisher=Business Insider, Inc|access-date=November 5, 2014|date=October 25, 2012}}</ref> {{as of|2013|May}}, About.com was receiving about 84 million unique monthly visitors.<ref name="May">{{cite web|author1=Jordan Crook|title=About.com's New CEO On How To Stay Relevant|url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/05/06/about-coms-new-ceo-on-how-to-stay-relevant/ |publisher=TechCrunch |access-date=November 5, 2014|date=May 6, 2013}}</ref>

Following his appointment, Vogel's overall plan for About focused on social, mobile, and user experience, with an emphasis on increasing the amount of time that users remain on the site, rather than attracting people in the first instance.<ref name="May" /> Vogel also stressed the importance of monetization in his numerous post-appointment interviews, and he included a summary of About's revenue model as part of his discussion of the future with ''Bloomberg'':

<blockquote>[We make money] one way, in general: we're advertising-supported. And that's monetized two ways: we do a lot of display advertising, and we do a lot of people clicking on links that we get paid for from Google and others... If we have all this traffic, and we have all this content, if we can make people engage with content more, and spend more time here [About.com], and do more things, we're going to have more page views and much more of an opportunity to monetize About.<ref name="Tv">{{cite news|title=About.com CEO on Site Transformation, Strategy |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/video/about-com-ceo-on-site-transformation-strategy-PfUbWZAlQKamtmpm7GglhA.html |access-date=November 5, 2014|work=Bloomberg TV|date=April 10, 2013|format=Video upload}}</ref></blockquote>

Vogel further explained that IAC has been able to create "compelling" content that manages to successfully engage Internet users, while About's content, in particular, is favoured by the Google search engine.<ref name="Tv" /> Furthermore, Vogel stated that native advertising is a marketing initiative that he would like to explore with caution, as "it's a really big opportunity to let marketers talk to our audience in the voice that they're already comfortable with."<ref name="July">{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2013/07/16/about-com-makes-big-leadership-changes-at-it-zeroes-in-on-native-advertising-social/|title=About.com Makes Big Leadership Changes As It Zeroes In On Native Advertising And Social|author1=Jordan Crook|date=July 16, 2013 |publisher=TechCrunch |access-date=November 5, 2014}}</ref>

In April 2014, Vogel revealed to the media that the About.com team had grown from 100 employees to 176, and the number of site contributors had increased by 20 percent. The company's developers updated the website's backend to be capable of handling a greater degree of interactivity at the front end, while a major emphasis was placed on responsive web design, as the traffic from mobile devices and tablets was measured at nearly 40 percent.<ref name="Brand">{{cite web|author1=Jordan Crook|title=About.com CEO Neil Vogel Discusses The Challenges Of Evolving An Established Brand|url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/04/18/about-com-ceo-neil-vogel-discusses-the-challenges-of-evolving-an-established-brand/ |publisher=TechCrunch |access-date=November 5, 2014|date=April 18, 2014}}</ref>

The About.com website was relaunched in September 2014, following a significant redesign that expanded upon the new homepage that debuted in July 2014. Based on an analysis of the needs of both users and advertisers, the redesign sought to create an improved user experience and facilitate social sharing, including the addition of social media buttons that were not featured at the time of Vogel's appointment.<ref name="Brand" />

=== 2017–2025: rebranding to Dotdash and merger with Meredith=== right|thumb|Dotdash Meredith logo, used from 2021 to 2025 On May 2, 2017, IAC announced the completed rebranding of About.com to Dotdash,<ref>Dot-dash (or di-dah) represents the letter "A" in Morse code, the initial of the firm's previous name, About.com.</ref> after about a year of transition.<ref name="dotdash-announced">{{cite press release |author= |title=About.com is Now Dotdash |url=http://iac.com/media-room/press-releases/aboutcom-now-dotdash |publisher=IAC |date=May 2, 2017 |access-date=2017-07-23 |archive-date=November 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171126031614/http://iac.com/media-room/press-releases/aboutcom-now-dotdash |url-status=dead }}</ref> CEO Neil Vogel said that the company had lost mind share and needed to change its marketing strategy.<ref name="verge-shut">{{cite web |author=Natt Garun |title=About.com, the general interest site even its own CEO doesn't care for, is going away |url=https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/26/15433810/about-com-shut-down-rebrand |website=The Verge |date=April 26, 2017 |access-date=July 9, 2017}}</ref> According to ''WIRED'', the About.com brand was retired, despite its profitability, to make way for a new business model.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2017/05/rip-com-look-tumultuous-life-web-legend/|title=RIP About.com|last=Dreyfuss|first=Emily|date=2017-05-03|magazine=Wired|access-date=2019-12-30|issn=1059-1028}}</ref> The company refocused on vertical markets through its niche websites: ''The Balance'' (personal finance), ''Lifewire'' (tech), ''The Spruce'' (home and food), ''VeryWell'' (health), ''TripSavvy'' (travel), and ''ThoughtCo'' (education).<ref name="dotdash-announced"/><ref name="verge-shut"/><ref>{{cite web |author=Jordan Crook |title=About.com rebrands to Dotdash |url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/05/02/about-com-rebrands-to-dotdash/ |publisher=TechCrunch |date=May 2, 2017 |access-date=July 9, 2017}}</ref>

On March 29, 2018, Dotdash won Digiday's Publisher of the Year.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://digiday.com/events/awards-publishing/dotdash-wins-publisher-of-the-year-at-the-digiday-publishing-awards/|title=Dotdash wins Publisher of the Year at the Digiday Publishing Awards |date=2018-03-29|work=Digiday|access-date=2018-08-29|language=en-US}}</ref> In July of the same year, Dotdash acquired ''Investopedia''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ir.iac.com/static-files/38bef932-4ccb-4b2e-9b87-dae8bc844b19|website=IAC |title=IAC Q2 2018 Shareholder Letter |date=August 8, 2018 |first1=Joey |last1=Levin }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rapier |first=Graham |title=IAC is laying off a third of Investopedia staff |date=Aug 10, 2018 |url=https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/iac-stock-price-laying-off-a-third-of-investopedia-staff-2018-8-1027449957 |access-date=2021-02-08 |website=Markets Insider - Business Insider |language=en-us |archive-date=November 9, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201109005308/https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/iac-stock-price-laying-off-a-third-of-investopedia-staff-2018-8-1027449957 |url-status=dead }}</ref> On October 15, TripSavvy launched the Editors' Choice Awards.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tripsavvy-announces-first-ever-editors-choice-awards-300730276.html|title=TripSavvy Announces First-Ever Editors' Choice Awards|last=TripSavvy|website=PR Newswire |date=Oct 15, 2018 |language=en|access-date=2018-10-16}}</ref>

On January 8, 2019, Dotdash announced the acquisition of ''Byrdie'' (beauty) and ''MyDomaine'' (women's lifestyle) from Clique Brands.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/dotdash-riding-wave-of-search-traffic-acquires-new-sites-11546981201|title=Dotdash, Riding Wave of Search Traffic, Acquires New Sites|first=Benjamin|last=Mullin|work=Wall Street Journal |date=January 8, 2019}}</ref> On May 15, Dotdash announced the acquisition of ''Brides'' from Conde Nast.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://wwd.com/business-news/media/brides-magazine-ending-in-print-new-owner-dotdash-ceo-digital-opportunity-1203132037/|title=Brides Ending in Print, but New Owner Sees Big Opportunity in Digital|last1=Hays|first1=Kali|date=2019-05-15|website=WWD|language=en|access-date=2019-06-28}}</ref> In the spring of 2019, Dotdash's home site, ''The Spruce'', announced the launch of its first-ever paint collection, The Spruce Best Home, in partnership with KILZ and sold exclusively on Amazon.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.axios.com/dotdash-commerce-line-amazon-spruce-best-home-ce8211ed-3f88-452f-804d-2bf051eefe67.html|title=Scoop: Dotdash to launch commerce line with Amazon|website=Axios|language=en|access-date=2019-06-28|archive-date=May 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524130347/https://www.axios.com/dotdash-commerce-line-amazon-spruce-best-home-ce8211ed-3f88-452f-804d-2bf051eefe67.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> On October 1, Dotdash announced the acquisition of Liquor.com.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.axios.com/dotdash-liquor-com-62fe840c-e816-4cf1-92b8-30bc9c8a4f60.html|title=Exclusive: Dotdash acquires Liquor.com|website=Axios|language=en|access-date=2019-10-04|archive-date=October 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191007060827/https://www.axios.com/dotdash-liquor-com-62fe840c-e816-4cf1-92b8-30bc9c8a4f60.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On February 4, 2020, Dotdash announced the acquisition of ''TreeHugger'' and Mother Nature Network.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2020-02-05/dotdash-ceo-sees-green-content-as-the-next-great-opportunity-video |title=Dotdash CEO Sees 'Green Content' as the Next Great Opportunity|website=www.bloomberg.com|date=February 5, 2020 |access-date=2020-02-25}}</ref> In June, Dotdash was named Digiday's Publisher of the Year in Digiday's Media Awards 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://digiday.com/awards/digiday-media-awards-expanding-revenue-and-driving-engagement-these-media-companies-are-highlight-nominees/|title=Digiday Media Awards: Expanding revenue and driving engagement, these media companies are highlight nominees|date=May 19, 2020}}</ref> ''The Spruce'' won for Best User Experience and CEO Neil Vogel won Executive of the Year.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Digiday|title=Digiday Media Awards 2020|url=https://digiday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/digiday-media-awards-guide.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://digiday.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/digiday-media-awards-guide.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live}}</ref> On September 22, Dotdash announced that it acquired ''Simply Recipes'' and ''Serious Eats'' from Fexy Media.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Fischer|first=Sara|title=Exclusive: Dotdash acquires Simply Recipes and Serious Eats|url=https://www.axios.com/dotdash-simply-recipes-serious-eats-94ee70ac-01ad-41cb-85fa-98426a5daa43.html|access-date=2020-10-16|website=Axios|language=en|archive-date=October 17, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017161056/https://www.axios.com/dotdash-simply-recipes-serious-eats-94ee70ac-01ad-41cb-85fa-98426a5daa43.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On October 6, 2021, Dotdash announced the acquisition of Meredith's magazine and other non-broadcast assets (including the former Time Inc. assets) for $2.7 billion, forming a new entity called Dotdash Meredith.<ref name="meredith-dotdash">{{Cite web|title=IAC's Dotdash to Acquire Meredith Corporation's National Media Group|url=https://meredith.mediaroom.com/news-releases?item=137620|access-date=2021-10-06|website=Meredith Corporation MediaRoom|language=en|archive-date=June 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220626052150/https://meredith.mediaroom.com/news-releases?item=137620|url-status=dead}}</ref> The transaction was finalized on December 1.<ref>[https://www.iac.com/press-releases/iacs-dotdash-announces-close-of-meredith-transaction "IAC's Dotdash Announces Close of Meredith Transaction"], IAC, 1 December 2021, Retrieved 1 December 2021.</ref> On February 9, 2022, Dotdash CEO Neil Vogel issued a memo revealing that six former Meredith Corporation magazines (''Entertainment Weekly'', ''InStyle'', ''EatingWell'', ''Health'', ''Parents'', and ''People en Español'') would cease print circulation and switch to a digital-only format.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/barry-dillers-media-group-pulls-plug-on-6-print-magazines-including-instyle-and-entertainment-weekly-11644424320|title=Barry Diller's Media Group Ends Print Versions of InStyle, Entertainment Weekly, Others|first=Alexandra|last=Bruell|publisher=Wall Street Journal|date=February 9, 2022|accessdate=May 10, 2022}}</ref>

===2025: Rebrand to People Inc.=== On July 31, 2025, the company announced it had rebranded as People Inc.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Steinberg |first=Mark |date=2025-07-31 |title=Dotdash Meredith Rebrands to People Inc. |url=https://www.adweek.com/media/dotdash-meredith-rebrand-people-inc/ |access-date=2025-07-31 |website=Adweek |language=en-US}}</ref> Vogel explained that the company wanted a simpler name that was more reflective of its business (suggesting that Dotdash Meredith sounded like a law firm or oil company), and chose to name it after ''People'' to reflect its position as both their flagship property, and to symbolize that amid the growth of artificial intelligence, "People" was "a really good representation of our narrative and what we do in this world."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Guaglione |first=Sara |date=2025-07-31 |title=Dotdash Meredith's rebrand to People Inc. formalizes a post-search media strategy |url=https://digiday.com/media/dotdash-meredith-rebrand-to-people-inc-formalizes-a-post-search-media-strategy/ |access-date=2025-09-02 |website=Digiday |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Assets == Assets of People, Inc.:

'''Health'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Health |url=https://www.people.inc/health |access-date=2025-09-14 |website=www.people.inc |language=en}}</ref>{{div col|colwidth=20em}} * ''Verywell Health'' * ''Verywell Mind'' * ''Verywell Fit'' * ''Health'' * ''Parents'' {{div col end}}'''Finance'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Finance |url=https://www.people.inc/finance |access-date=2025-09-14 |website=www.people.inc |language=en}}</ref>{{div col|colwidth=20em}} * ''Investopedia'' * ''The Balance'' {{div col end}}'''Food & Drink'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Food {{!}} Drink |url=https://www.people.inc/food-drink |access-date=2025-09-14 |website=www.people.inc |language=en}}</ref>{{div col|colwidth=20em}} * ''Allrecipes'' * ''Serious Eats'' * ''Simply Recipes'' * ''The Spruce Eats'' * ''EatingWell'' * ''Food & Wine'' * ''Liquor.com'' {{div col end}}'''Home'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.people.inc/home |access-date=2025-09-14 |website=www.people.inc |language=en }}{{Dead link|date=May 2026 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref>{{div col|colwidth=20em}} * ''Better Homes & Gardens'' * ''Daily Paws'' * ''Martha Stewart'' * ''Magnolia'' * ''Midwest Living'' * ''MyDomaine'' * ''American Patchwork & Quilting'' * ''Real Simple'' * ''Southern Living'' * ''The Spruce'' * ''The Spruce Pets'' * ''Successful Farming'' * ''Wood'' {{div col end}}'''Beauty & Style'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Beauty & Style |url=https://www.people.inc/beauty-and-style |access-date=2025-09-14 |website=www.people.inc |language=en}}</ref>{{div col|colwidth=20em}} * ''Byrdie'' * ''Brides'' * ''InStyle'' * ''Shape'' {{div col end}}'''Travel'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Travel |url=https://www.people.inc/travel |access-date=2025-09-14 |website=www.people.inc |language=en}}</ref>{{div col|colwidth=20em}} * ''Travel + Leisure'' * ''TripSavvy'' {{div col end}}'''Tech & Sustainability'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tech {{!}} Sustainability |url=https://www.people.inc/tech-sustainability |access-date=2025-09-14 |website=www.people.inc |language=en}}</ref>{{div col|colwidth=20em}} * ''Lifewire'' * ''TreeHugger'' {{div col end}}'''Entertainment'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Entertainment |url=https://www.people.inc/entertainment |access-date=2025-09-14 |website=www.people.inc |language=en}}</ref> {{div col|colwidth=20em}} * ''People'' * ''People en Español'' * ''Entertainment Weekly'' * ''LiveAbout''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.liveabout.com/about-us-5112071|title=About Us|website=LiveAbout|access-date=15 January 2026|archive-date=January 16, 2026|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260116002035/https://www.liveabout.com/about-us-5112071|url-status=dead}}</ref> {{div col end}}'''Premium Publishing'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Premium Publishing |url=https://www.people.inc/premium-publishing |access-date=2025-09-14 |website=www.people.inc |language=en}}</ref>{{div col|colwidth=20em}} * ''Cooking Light'' * ''Coastal Living'' * ''Traditional Home'' * ''Do It Yourself'' * ''Country Home'' * ''LIFE'' {{div col end}}

== Offices == People Inc. has offices at three locations in the USA including New York, Des Moines, and Birmingham.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Dotdash Meredith Contact |url=https://www.dotdashmeredith.com/contact |website=Dotdash Meredith}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{Official website}}

Category:Mass media companies based in New York City Category:Digital mass media companies Category:IAC Inc. Category:Internet properties established in 1997 Category:Knowledge markets Category:Online mass media companies of the United States