The Industry Standard Ceases Publication

Posted on August 17, 2001

The Industry Standard, one of the leading technology publications to emerge during the gold rush days of the Internet, is ceasing publication of its print magazine and laying off nearly all of its staff. The publication has seen its ad sales down about 75% this year. In an article covering its own demise, Media Grok editor Jimmy Guterman wrote, "Today, we turn our dagger around and point it at ourselves." Media Grok, a daily email newsletter published by The Industry Standard, also ceased publication.

The Industry Standard's competitors have not faired much better, but continue to publish. Business 2.0 was acquired by AOL Time Warner and had most of its staff terminated. Technology magazine and conference provider Red Herring has laid of numerous employees this year. Online publishers such as INT Media (formerly Internet.com) and CNET have also suffered from a decrease in technology advertising and have laid off staff. And Inside.com, which launched Inside Magazine in a deal with Standard Media International (the publisher of The Industry Standard) saw the publication last only one issue. Inside.com is now a fee-based service which includes some original content mixed with content from Primedia's book and publishing industry publications, after being sold to Brill Media Holdings.

About 180 employees will be laid off from The Industry Standard -- only a few will remain to run the website, which will continue to provide some editorial coverage. Ironically, the website has been monitoring layoffs and company demises through its layoff tracker and flop tracker for several months. Standard Media is also considering filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company was seeking a buyer, but was unable to find one before deciding to cease publication. The company still hopes to sell the assets of The Industry Standard, including its publication name, website and subscriber list.