Puck (media company)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Digital media |
| Founded | 2021 |
| Founder | Joe Purzycki, Jon Kelly, Liz Gough, Julia Ioffe, Max Tcheyan |
| Headquarters | United States |
Key people | Sarah Personette (CEO) |
Number of employees | 25 (2022) |
Puck is a U.S.-based digital media enterprise established in 2021. Its editorial focus centers on the "four pillars of influence" within America: Silicon Valley, Hollywood, Washington, D.C., and Wall Street. Among its team of journalists are notable figures such as Matthew Belloni, Peter Hamby, Dylan Byers, and Baratunde Thurston.
History
The founding team of Puck includes Joe Purzycki, Jon Kelly, Liz Gough, Julia Ioffe, and Max Tcheyan. The company unveiled its initial landing page in August 2021 before officially launching in September 2021. That same year, it garnered $7 million in investments from Standard Industries and TPG Growth. In May 2023, Purzycki resigned from his role as CEO. Later, on January 5, 2024, Sarah Personette—previously leading advertising sales at Twitter—was appointed as the new CEO.
In September 2021, Puck expanded its content offerings by introducing podcasts hosted by its editorial staff. By March 2022, it partnered with Bill Simmons' platform The Ringer, owned by Spotify, to co-produce a podcast series.
By August 2023, Puck had successfully raised more than $10 million during its Series B funding round. The company debuted its inaugural live conference events in October 2023, featuring former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain in Washington, D.C. Future conferences planned include speakers representing companies such as Netflix and Goldman Sachs.
In March 2025, journalist Tara Palmeri departed Puck to join YouTube. Subsequently, in September 2025, Puck reached an agreement to acquire the weekly fine-culture and lifestyle newsletter Air Mail. The following month, Saks Global filed a lawsuit against Puck, accusing the outlet of publishing “hit pieces” and failing to disclose a conflict of interest related to reporter William D. Cohan.
Notable stories and coverage
After the arrest of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, Puck conducted an interview with him while he was under house arrest. Prior to his detention, Puck reported on Bankman-Fried’s political ambitions, including his intention to contribute $15–30 million to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
In August 2023, Puck reported on a conflict involving Canadian pop star Justin Bieber and his longtime manager Scooter Braun. Although both parties denied any management changes at the time, subsequent coverage by outlets such as Variety and Billboard corroborated Puck’s account of underlying tensions.
Etymology
The name "Puck" draws inspiration from the 19th-century Manhattan-based political satire publication housed in the historic Puck Building. Additionally, it alludes to the playful and mischievous figure from Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night's Dream, symbolizing the company’s spirited editorial approach.
Editorial tone and style
In 2022, The New Yorker characterized Puck's voice as intentionally exclusive, resonating with an audience through contributors who share close ties with the influential individuals they cover. Bloomberg News highlighted that Puck approaches its journalists similarly to social media personalities, reflecting a contemporary approach to media engagement.
Readership and staff
By November 2022, Puck's team consisted of 25 employees and the newsletter boasted 200,000 email subscribers. This number of paid subscribers grew to 40,000 by 2024, with The Wall Street Journal reporting notable expansion as of February 2025. Following a funding round in 2022, The New York Times estimated the company's valuation at around $70 million. Journalists at Puck benefit from equity shares and receive bonuses linked directly to the subscriber growth their work generates, thereby connecting their earnings with both content success and intellectual property value.