Arianna Huffington to Leave Huffington Post 11 Years After Founding It to Join Health Startup
Arianna Huffington is leaving the Huffington Post, a digital media outlet she cofounded 11 years ago which grew into one of the largest properties in the US.
The 66-year-old will turn her full attention to Thrive Global, a health startup she has also cofounded. Originally she planned to remain with her namesake site until 2019, which Thrive as a side project, but has now decided to make the full switch this year.
“I really thought I could do both, but as we started building it up, I realized that it really needed my full attention,” she said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. “It is important to know when one door closes and another opens and I felt that moment had arrived.”
Huffington, who has published several books on health issues—including one called Thrive—says her startup’s goal is to improve the well-being of other companies’ employees. Following a recent round of venture capital, Thrive is slated to launch fully in November.
AOL acquired the Huffington Post in 2011 for $315 million. AOL was then bought by Verizon last year for $4.4 billion. The Post today earns more than 100 million unique visitors monthly but struggles to profit.
