Refinery 29 logo

Refinery29 has given pink slips to more than 40 full-time employees, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. The digital publisher, which is geared toward millennial women, alerted staff in an internal e-mail, saying that it expects to miss its 2018 revenue target by five percent, and will restructure as a result. Most of the employees being let go work in the company’s product, engineering and video divisions. Refinery29 co-CEOs Justin Stefano and Philippe von Borries said in the memo that the company is shifting its focus toward producing content that can be licensed to TV and streaming networks. Despite missing its revenue target, the company says its international business is on pace to grow 100 percent from 2017, with its direct-to-consumer events business up over 300 percent.

Apple TV

Apple is planning to launch its upcoming TV subscription service in more than 100 countries, according to a report on tech site The Information. The company is working to get its new service going in the U.S. in the first half of next year. The service will allow users to sign up for TV network subscriptions from outside providers like HBO and Netflix. However, access to original programming from such producers as Reese Witherspoon and Oprah Winfrey will only be available on Apple devices, i.e., iPhones, iPads, iMac and the Apple TV set-top box. As of the first quarter of this year, Apple TV accounted for 28 percent of the market for streaming devices, lagging behind Roku’s 37 percent.

Zephyr Teachout
Zephyr Teachout

The Nation has named Zephyr Teachout to its editorial board. Teachout was a candidate for New York State Attorney General this year and ran against Andrew Cuomo in the 2014 Democratic primary for Governor. The Nation endorsed her in both races. Teachout has also been a contributor to the publication, writing on such topics as 21st-century trust-busting, tackling abuses of power, and advocating for equitable economic policies. She will be joining the editorial board to advise on issues close to her work combating corruption, crony capitalism, monopoly power and corporate-friendly politics. “Her deeply informed insights into why our current political system is broken—and how it can be repaired—will inform our journalism and thinking,” said Nation editor and publisher Katrina vanden Heuvel.