JFC…you just can’t make this schitt up. @angryasian just tweeted this.
And good luck finding someone with those qualifications to take that job at that pay (especially given the current environment).
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I finally got around to listening to the Gravel Ride podcast with Caley on it.
It was quite good and Caley is definitely working on something in regards to a new platform…there was a good bit of discussion re: different monetization strategies and I found those discussions very intriguing.
Worth a listen…
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I’m about half way through and enjoying it as well.
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Damn…and now Ronan is gone.
So just @angryasian and Shoddy left?
Unbelievable what a cluster this has become.
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And Amy Jones, although I’m the last full-time employee. Not to diminish their contributions in any way at all, but technically speaking, Amy and Shoddy are both part-time, and contractors/freelancers.
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I can’t believe how fast they cratered what was the best part of the cycling media landscape……no understanding of the what they had bought or the culture you guys had built.
Hoping for the best for you, James…whatever happens.
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So what’s the deal, James? Are they bringing in new staff? Outsourcing projects to their other holdings? Just going to suck the remaining blood out of CT and let it disappear?
Can’t say I really know for sure, to be honest. From the snippets of info I’ve been given (and perhaps more importantly, what you can infer from the job descriptions Outside has posted), it sounds like Outside Inc plans to go more tech-heavy with drop-bar cycling coverage in general, and also plans to spread that content more liberally across the various cycling-adjacent titles under the corporate umbrella. Still waiting to receive more information.
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And then there was one less. Ronan has just posted on Instagram that he is off too.
This is quite a spectacular implosion and I can’t see how outside thought it would work and what they hoped to achieve.
The majority of the core team looks to be free agents now, time for a new site. Maybe could be called Tips about Cycling, wit podcasts such as “Free rolling” and “Warning for Nerds”.
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Caley, Dane Cash, Dave Roam et al are already podcasting as “The Placeholders”, including a “Geek Warning” section. It is just like old times 
https://bicyclingsuggestions.podbean.com/
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The question is how do you monetize it….the interest is there, both from the crew and from listeners / readers. How to make it work financially is the question….and it is a tough one to answer.
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Oh, I agree there. Just more I wanted a realllllly close website/podcast names!
That is a great song! I find myself singing it whenever I’m performing maintenance on one of the bikes. Really catchy.
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Like CycleTips.
I suggest CyclingQuips
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What makes you think this chain of events is NOT what outside wanted? They bought up competitions platforms and brought them together, eliminating what they could but the purchases likely contained some commitment to not eliminate certain people or products for some amount of time, so they engineered those people eliminating themselves. Outside is left with no competition and no excess salaries and complied with the terms of their purchase agreements
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You are probably right about the overall strategy. If Outside had any plan for keeping CyclingTips going, they would have named a new editor immediately after Caley.
I wonder how successful it will be because ultimately it will depend on Outside still being able to deliver the content that advertisers expect, which gets harder and harder with every round of layoffs.
I think the private equity model of buying a company and increasing prices while reducing service/content works great for some products like candy bars or cough drops (e.g., reduce the number of cough drops in a box from 18 to 14 and raise the price by $1). Most consumers will grumble but keep on buying your product. On the other hand, Outside has bought themselves a ton of ill will from people who were paying a subscription fee and I would hate to be trying to sell advertising. Do brands really want to associate themselves with a media company that is in a state of total chaos?
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Because very few companies plan to completely implode the companies they purchased, especially the one piece that was supposedly good at generating revenue.
My guess (emphasis on “guess”) is that Outside assumed they could cut out the heavy salaries and have the next level down continue on with the established “culture”.
But they vastly underrated the willingness of other employees to say “nah, screw that” and completely did not understand what made CT different and valuable.
There is now only 1 full time employee and 1 part time employee left. That isn’t enough to sustain CT as a platform…especially since the one full-time employee doesn’t even cover much of what CT covers. No company plans for this type of chaos.
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Any TrailForks users reconciled their subscription? I want to get TrailForks Pro again but don’t want to support any Outside stuff.
Having said that I still really enjoy PB content.
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