A Heartfelt Farewell: TWiT Says Goodbye to Valued Team Members
We created TWiT 18 years ago with the goal of serving a community of tech enthusiasts with the information they need to navigate a rapidly changing world.
The TWiT Team has been dedicated ever since to supporting that mission and supporting you, our community. We're a tight-knit group who care deeply about what we do and the community we serve.
Unfortunately, our medium, podcasting, has suffered economically since the beginning of Covid. As the number of podcasts grew exponentially, the number of advertisers dwindled, and with it, our revenue. At one time, we had as many as 30 people on the TWiT staff, not including show hosts, producing more than 30 unique shows. Today, the staff is half that size, and we produce half the number of shows.
I'm sad to say that in order to keep operating without a loss, we need to cut three more valued members of our staff. Yesterday, Lisa and I laid off Jason Howell, Ant Pruitt, and Victor Bognot, one of our editors. All three were loved and valued members of our TWiT community, and it's wrenching to let them go. I know that all three will go on to success and satisfaction, but we no longer have the money to keep them employed, and we can't ask them to work for free.
Jason has been with us for 13 years. Starting as a producer and host on Tech News Today with Tom Merritt. He has been such a blessing to us all ever since, as the founding host of All About Android and Tech News Weekly, as my producer, and as a friend and inspiration to the TWiT community. Thank you so much, Jason. We're really going to miss your genial spirit around the TWiT Studios. And I know we'll see you on our shows from time to time. Jason also indicated that he might want to continue the AI show and his Android work elsewhere, and we've encouraged him to do that.
Ant came to TWiT five years ago, moving his entire family from North Carolina to Northern California. We are so grateful for his strong and gentle spirit hosting Hands On Wellness, Hands-On Photography, and This Week in Google. Behind the scenes, Ant has been an extraordinary community manager for Club TWiT, bringing both fun and inspiration to our Discord. Personally, Ant has been an inspiration to all of us. He even got us doing push-ups. We know he's going on to do great things. Continue to Create and Dominate, sir. We love you.
You may not know Victor Bognot, but his behind-the-scenes work as an editor for the past decade has touched so many of the shows you watch and listen to. Victor's beautiful and growing family has been a blessing to our entire staff, and his quiet competence will be sorely missed. I know he will go on to do great things, but for now, we feel the loss with heavy hearts.
We don't do these layoffs lightly, and I know it hurts everyone to see these great guys go. Send them your love, and offer them jobs if you have them. Thank you for bearing with us through these tough times.