Ozy Media shuts down just one week after most of us found out it exists
Samantha Bee, Mark Cuban, CEO and Co-Founder Carlos Watson, and Jeb Bush speak onstage during Ozy Fest 2017 | Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Ozy Fusion Fest 2017 In the space of six days and five New York Times reports from media columnist Ben Smith, Ozy Media has gone from a largely unknown content producer to closing its doors. The eight-year-old media startup was unrecognizable to most. It operated in anonymity despite a roster including some well-known journalists, the high-profile guests who appeared on CEO Carlos Watson's show, or NYC subway riders who were occasionally inundated with advertisements for its Ozyfest event.
Ozy Media acknowledged that its COO and co-founder pretended to be a YouTube executive on a conference call.
If you don't follow too many reporters on Twitter, you might not have heard, but last weekend the first New York Times report revealed two shocking things about Ozy...