BuzzFeed Chief Marketing Officer to Step Down

BuzzFeed Chief Marketing Officer and commerce leader Ben Kaufman is stepping down from his position at the end of the year, a move that comes at a delicate time for the digital media company as it seeks to boost revenue and return to profit. 

Like many of its peers, BuzzFeed has been looking for new sources of revenue, after relying too heavily on Facebook for traffic and ad revenue. Thanks in part to its growing commerce business, the company expects to break even this year and return to profitability next year, according to people familiar with the situation. While Mr. Kaufman will stay on as an adviser to the company, his stepping down as CMO raises questions about the commerce division’s future success and, more broadly, about whether BuzzFeed can remain on its current, more stable track.