Technology newsbrand Digital Frontier has announced it will no longer be publishing content as it takes a “step back” to “reassess” its next steps.
All 16 staff members have been made redundant, meaning directors Joshua Hewes and Gemma Thomson are the sole remaining employees of Digital Frontier.
The publication launched in February 2024 with a 20-strong team (including nine editorial staff), hoping to push back against a trend of widespread media industry job cuts and closures in the previous 12 months
It aimed to provide a “more nuanced and optimistic view of how technology is impacting the future of business, finance and culture”.
But Hewes told Press Gazette on Monday: “As the media landscape continues to evolve, we felt it was the right time to step back and reassess how best to serve our mission and our audience.
“Rather than drift or dilute what we set out to do, we’ve chosen to pause… The mission still matters and continues, and we’re taking time to reflect, listen and consider what comes next.”
Digital Frontier is privately owned with investment from Hewes, who was previously the founder and chief executive of Blockspace and has a background in digital assets and financial services.
In a statement posted on its website entitled “the end of the beginning”, Hewes said Digital Frontier is bringing “this chapter” to a close.
Hewes wrote: “In many ways, the bet we made was right. The media landscape has shifted. Taste, originality and voice matter more than ever. More independent creators are breaking through. Great companies are becoming storytellers in their own right. Audiences are no longer struggling to find good content; they are struggling to choose what deserves their attention and that changes what is expected of us.
“Building something meaningful takes more than vision and effort, it also means knowing when to pause, step back and reassess. The work we produced struck a chord, but the momentum never quite followed. Rather than drift further from what we set out to do, we’ve decided to press pause.”
He continued: “This is not the story we hoped to be writing at this point, and it has meant saying goodbye to a team who helped bring our vision to life.
“We’re proud of what we made, and while we could have kept pushing forward, we believe starting again is the better path to be able to build something that the audience now demands.”
Several team members will continue the newsletters they began at Digital Frontier under their own banners, including UK 2.0 by Alys Key, Open Tabs by Sophia Epstein, and Anatomy of a Founder by Amelia Isaacs.
CEO Rich Hewes and managing director Alex Zeevalkink have stepped away from Digital Frontier with plans to launch a new venture in the coming months.
Digital Frontier has opened up its website archive, which had previously been behind a paywall, while all five of its print magazine issues are available to order while stocks last.
The statement concluded: “What comes next might look different, but the intent will be the same: to build something meaningful rooted in optimism. And when we return, we hope you’ll meet us there.”
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