Vivek’s Political Intentions Come To Play At BuzzFeed: The Hill

India-West News Desk

NEW YORK, NY –Vivek Ramaswamy’s acquisition of nearly 10% of BuzzFeed has raised unexpected questions about the digital media company’s future and fueled speculation about the conservative figure’s intentions. Known for his GOP presidential run, where he embraced conspiracy theories and supported former President Trump, Ramaswamy is now pushing for a right-wing transformation of BuzzFeed.

Despite the bold move, industry experts believe Ramaswamy’s influence will be limited. His high-profile investment appears aimed at keeping his name in the spotlight and positioning himself for a possible Republican vice-presidential nomination.

“Attention is crucial in a crowded GOP primary,” noted Johanna Dunaway, Research Director at Syracuse University’s Institute for Democracy, Journalism, and Citizenship to The Hill. “It seems he’s trying to attract Trump’s attention with this move.”

In the past three months, Ramaswamy has acquired an 8.37% stake in BuzzFeed. In a recent letter to the company’s board, The Hill reported, he criticized BuzzFeed for “losing its way” and proposed significant changes. These included appointing new board directors, recruiting multimedia content creators, and making large-scale staff cuts.

Ramaswamy emphasized the need for “intellectual diversity” in the company’s leadership and proposed hiring well-known right-wing personalities like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens.

BuzzFeed’s leadership has shown little interest in Ramaswamy’s proposals. In a written response obtained by The Hill, BuzzFeed co-founder and CEO Jonah Peretti dismissed many of Ramaswamy’s criticisms, arguing that he has a “fundamental misunderstanding” of the company’s operations.

“I’m very skeptical that transforming BuzzFeed into a platform for inflammatory political pundits makes business sense,” Peretti wrote. “And we certainly won’t apologize for our Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism.”