The Atlantic fixed its business. Then AI came for media.
The Atlantic CEO Nicholas Thompson discusses the magazine's transition to profitability and his unique approach to content creation. The interview also touches on the complex relationship between media outlets and AI companies like OpenAI.
Why it matters
It highlights the evolving business models of legacy media as they navigate the dual challenges of digital transformation and the rise of generative AI.
Courtesy of The Atlantic; BI Nicholas Thompson, the CEO of The Atlantic magazine, put together a deal with OpenAI in 2024. That deal has had lots of upside for his property, he says — but delivering readers to his site is not one of them. In addition to running The Atlantic's business, Thompson also creates revenue-generating content separate from the editors and writers who work there. It's an unusual arrangement. Running a great magazine is hard. So is turning a money-losing magazine into a profit center. Nicholas Thompson has done both. The CEO of The Atlantic took the job in 2021, when it was gushing red ink and slashing its workforce. Today it's profitable, boasts 1.6 million subscribers, and revenue that Thompson says is "much bigger" than $100 million — the number it last reported in 2023.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in