BuzzFeed cuts 25 jobs in Australia

Digital news outlet BuzzFeed will cull more than half of its Australian workforce as part of a global cost-cutting exercise.

“BuzzFeed management have informed us that 25 roles in Australia are facing redundancy,” BuzzFeed Australia general manager Simon Crerar Tweeted on Tuesday.

The outlet reportedly employs about 40 people in Australia. Mr Crerar said the roles would go after a “consultancy period”.

The company announced last week that it would shed 200 jobs, or 15 per cent of its global workforce.

BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti sent a note to employees last week, saying the layoffs would help the company avoid having to again hit up investors for more money.

The privately held company, based in New York, has not been profitable for several years and has raised hundreds of millions from investors.

US President Donald Trump, who regularly rails against what he calls “fake news“, celebrated job cuts at BuzzFeed and another news outlet, HuffPost, over the weekend.

In a Tweet, he wrote: “Ax (sic) falls quickly at BuzzFeed and Huffpost! ... Fake News and bad journalism have caused a big downturn. Sadly, many others will follow. The people want the Truth!“

AAP is seeking comment from BuzzFeed Australia.

BuzzFeed is best known for its viral posts and quizzes and in recent years has ploughed significant resources into its news division.