Weblogs, Inc.
| Company type | Private (formerly) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Blog network, online media |
| Founded | September 2003 |
| Founder | Jason Calacanis, Brian Alvey |
| Fate | Acquired by AOL in October 2005; brand retired by 2010 |
| Successor | AOL Media division, later Huffington Post Media Group |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Jason Calacanis, Brian Alvey, Mark Cuban (investor), Peter Rojas (co-founder of Engadget) |
| Products | Blog network including Engadget, Autoblog, TUAW, Joystiq, and others |
| Parent | AOL (2005–2015), then Yahoo! Inc. (after Verizon merger) |
Weblogs, Inc. functioned as a blog network delivering content focused on technology news, video gaming, automobiles, and popular culture. At its height, the network encompassed nearly 90 blogs, with the majority of visitor traffic concentrated on a select group of flagship sites such as Engadget, Autoblog, TUAW, Joystiq, Luxist, Slashfood, Cinematical, TV Squad, Download Squad, Blogging Baby, Gadling, AdJab, and Blogging Stocks.
Currently, only Engadget and Autoblog continue to operate from the original lineup, now managed under the umbrella of Yahoo! Inc.
History
Established in September 2003 by Jason Calacanis and Brian Alvey, with financial support from investor Mark Cuban, Weblogs, Inc. rapidly became a prominent blog network alongside Gawker Media. Initially composed of several dozen blogs hosted as subdomains on weblogsinc.com, it also featured independent websites such as Engadget, co-founded by Peter Rojas. The network grew to include more than 26 independent sites plus over 50 sub-blogs. Some key figures maintained their own personal blogs within the platform.
In October 2005, AOL purchased Weblogs Inc for around $25 million as part of its strategy to establish an independent division within Time Warner. For several years after acquisition, Weblogs Inc operated autonomously before AOL gradually retired the brand to focus on consolidating its most successful titles and merging them with AOL’s other media assets like AOL News and AOL Autos.
Following AOL’s separation from Time Warner in 2009, the Weblogs Inc branding lingered quietly until late 2010 when it was fully phased out during a major redesign at AOL and shortly after acquiring tech blog TechCrunch. By this time, only a limited number of Weblogs Inc sites remained active.
After AOL’s $315 million acquisition of The Huffington Post in February 2011, the Weblogs Inc blogs were reorganized under the "Huffington Post Media Group," transferring editorial oversight to the Huffington Post team. This change triggered controversies including the exit of TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington. At this stage, AOL had streamlined its content portfolio to approximately 20 websites, retaining Engadget, Autoblog, Joystiq, and TUAW as the last former Weblogs Inc properties.
In February 2015, Joystiq and TUAW were discontinued and merged into Engadget; similarly, AOL Autos and AOL Tech were redirected to Autoblog and Engadget respectively.
In 2015, Verizon acquired AOL and later merged AOL’s content operations with Yahoo! to create a new media division. Verizon eventually sold this combined entity to private equity firm Apollo Global Management.
Today, Engadget and Autoblog remain as the sole surviving titles originating from Weblogs Inc.
Engadget
Debuting in March 2004, Engadget delivers multiple daily updates focused on gadgets and consumer electronics. It functions as a webzine presented in a blog-style format.
Autoblog
Founded in June 2004, Autoblog is an automotive news platform and car shopping resource that was formerly headquartered in Birmingham, Michigan. It earned a 2014 Webby Award for its original video series The List. Autoblog produced daily articles and videos covering developments in the automotive industry alongside a weekly video podcast hosted by site editors. The site also provided tools for vehicle shopping and detailed research pages for both new and used cars. Its last Editor-in-Chief was Greg Migliore with Adam Morath serving as General Manager. In September 2024, staff were released as Autoblog transitioned to an AI-driven blogging model.
Joystiq
Joystiq served as a weblog dedicated to video games and gaming culture. The site discontinued its operations on February 3, 2015.
Hack a Day
Launched in September 2004, Hack a Day (also referred to as HackADay) is a weblog that highlights hacks, modifications, and projects favored by computer hobbyists. It was excluded from the Weblogs, Inc. sale to AOL and remained independent until it was acquired by SupplyFrame in 2013.
TV Squad
TV Squad began as a television weblog on March 10, 2005, rapidly becoming one of the Internet’s leading TV blogs by 2006. Originally open to contributions from all Weblogs, Inc. writers, it gradually formed a dedicated team of roughly 20 regular contributors, including Adam Finley, Keith McDuffee, Bob Sassone, Jane Boursaw, Jay Black, Wil Wheaton, and Paul Goebel. Maureen Ryan, formerly a critic for the Chicago Tribune, took on the role of lead television critic starting in 2010. Throughout the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, TV Squad maintained uninterrupted publication.
Remaining independent until May 2011, TV Squad was eventually integrated into AOL TV with its content redirected to AOLTV.com. Seven months later, AOL TV was rebranded as HuffPost TV, prompting another content migration.
The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW)
TUAW offered news, reviews, tips, and analysis related to Apple Inc products. Established in 2004 under Weblogs, Inc., it became one of the network’s most prominent blogs before closing on February 3, 2015. Subsequently, its archives were republished on Engadget. The brand was resurrected in mid-2024 with AI-generated content that frequently misrepresented original articles and included AI-created images. In 2024, TUAW was acquired by Hong Kong-based advertising firm Web Orange Limited; however, this acquisition did not include the original content.
Download Squad
Download Squad concentrated on news about web-based and downloadable software for both desktop and mobile devices. It was recognized by Computerworld in 2008 as one of the ten best-written blogs and stood as a key source for software industry information. Alongside its sister site Switched, Download Squad was shut down by AOL on April 12, 2011.