How Media Startups Stack Up on Revenue Per Employee

If there’s one constant among the most prominent digital media startups, it’s that they all generate about the same amount of revenue on a per-employee basis—regardless of how big they are.

That’s what emerged from a study The Information did of eight firms, ranging from BuzzFeed to Vox Media, Axios and Refinery29. The group brought in an average of $180,000 per employee last year. In comparison, the New York Times Co. generated more than twice that, at $443,000. (See the accompanying table.)