--- title: "CNET’s Post-AI Layoffs Apparently Gutted 50 Percent of Its News and Video Staff" description: "Internal correspondence obtained Futurism alleges that CNET has gutted 50 percent of its news and video staff in its recent layoffs." date: "2023-03-03" modified: "2023-03-03" authors: - name: "Maggie Harrison Dupré" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/mharrison" url: "https://futurism.com/cnet-layoffs-gutted-news-video" categories: - "Artificial Intelligence" tags: - "ai" - "artificial intelligence" - "cnet" - "red ventures" --- # CNET’s Post-AI Layoffs Apparently Gutted 50 Percent of Its News and Video Staff ![Internal correspondence obtained Futurism alleges that CNET has gutted 50 percent of its news and video staff in its recent layoffs.]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* The full scope of [*CNET's* layoffs]() after its [disastrous foray]() into [AI-powered journalism]() is coming further into focus — and frankly, things don't look too good. According to internal correspondence *Futurism* obtained*,* *CNET* — which has maintained that the job cuts have absolutely nothing to do with their [misfired AI](), actually — gutted 50 percent of its news and video staff in the most recent culling. That's a striking number, especially in light of the fact that *CNET's* owner, Red Ventures, very much appears like it's planning to start up its mystery AI machine once again. Remember, *CNET*'s editor-in-chief Connie Guglielmo — who in a grim punchline is [stepping down]() to become the company's VP of AI content strategy — defended the tech after a public outcry as a bid to free up journalists to do more interesting work. "The goal: to see if the tech can help our busy staff of reporters and editors with their job to cover topics from a 360-degree perspective," she wrote in January. "Will this AI engine efficiently assist them in using publicly available facts to create the most helpful content so our audience can make better decisions? Will this enable them to create even more deeply researched stories, analyses, features, testing and advice work we're known for?" That clearly didn't work out so well, with the site's news operation now cut off at the knees. In an email to *Futurism*, *CNET* neither confirmed nor denied the 50 percent figure. "Out of respect of those leaving the *CNET* Group," a *CNET* spokesperson wrote in an email, "we will not be sharing specific details of yesterday's reorganization." And according to a source familiar with the matter, *CNET* isn't the only Red Ventures publication to be hit with massive editorial layoffs. *ZDNET*, another Red Ventures-owned tech outlet, lost 35 percent of its editorial staff. And to that end, we wouldn't be surprised to learn that Red Ventures were rolling its editorial AI system out over at *ZDNET*, too. Again, though, leaders at *CNET* and Red Ventures are chalking the layoffs up to reorganization. Their simultaneously ongoing AI saga, they say, [is just a coincidence](). "Today's decision," a *CNET* spokesperson [told *Variety*](), "was not a reflection of the value or performance of our team members, the use of emerging technologies, or our confidence in the *CNET* Group's future." In other words: "AI who?" "To prepare ourselves for a strong future, we will need to focus on how we simplify our operations and our tech stack," Carlos Angrisano, president of financial services and the *CNET* Group at Red Ventures, wrote in a Thursday morning email to *CNET* staff, [according to a report from *The Verge*](), "and also on how we invest our time and energy." Per the *Verge*, Angrisano's email additionally noted that the reorganization was part of a broader effort to focus on "consumer technology, home and wellness, energy, broadband, and personal finance" — indeed, an effort that *CNET* echoed in their statement to us, explaining that such are "categories where the CNET Group has a high degree of authority, relevance, differentiation and where we can make a large difference in the lives of our audience." "We believe success in these focus areas will set the groundwork for future expansion," the statement continued, "and create the right conditions for a high-growth, sustainable business." According to a current staffer, that makes perfect sense. Those content categories, they told the *Verge*, are where the SEO-hound that is Red Ventures is likely to bring in the most affiliate-link cash — even if the quality of the work suffers. "But those sections are shadows of what they once were, particularly home," said the staffer, per the report. "If you want to do that section the right way, you don't sell off your Smart Home, get rid of its video team and cripple your editorial staff." And as for "making a large difference in the lives" of its audience, let's hope that the information that *CNET* is publishing is [actually right this time]() — otherwise, while the difference that the company makes is still bound to be a big one, it's also bound to be a bad one. At the end of the day, we understand that everyone's got a bottom line. But there's a difference between bottom lines and rock bottoms, and if you have to stoop this far to ensure that your bottom line is taken care of, it's worth wondering if [the road taken]() was worth it. **More on *CNET* cuts:** [*CNET Says It's a Total Coincidence It's Laying off Humans after Publishing AI-Generated Articles*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've reported extensively on the rise of AI as a cultural and business force shaping the media industry, and more broadly how those dynamics are changing how we all consume and share information and relate to one another. I'm also fascinated by public health policy and ethics, the role of emerging tech in politics and governance — and the powerful people and forces at those intersections — climate change, and the environment. My investigation on Sports Illustrated's use of AI-generated authors with fictional biographies won a 2024 Mirror Award for "Best Story on Media Coverage of Artificial Intelligence in Journalism and the Media" from Syracuse University's SI Newhouse School, I contributed to Niemen Lab's 2025 Predictions for Journalism series, and I've discussed my work for Futurism during appearances on NPR, CNN, the BBC, the CBC, and more. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania and attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where I played Division I field hockey for the Minutewomen as a midfielder. Since then, I've lived in New Orleans, Louisiana and Manhattan, New York. I spend my free time running, reading, perusing archival fashion, and searching for the world’s best negroni. I also have a debonair tuxedo cat, Westley, who's named after "The Princess Bride." ### Author social links [Bluesky]()