Jonah Peretti facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jonah Peretti
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Peretti in 2019
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| Born | January 1, 1974 |
| Education | University of California, Santa Cruz (BS) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MS) |
| Employer | Contagious Media (2001–2006) The Huffington Post (2005–2011) BuzzFeed (2006–present) |
| Known for | BuzzFeed, The Huffington Post |
| Spouse(s) | Andrea Harner |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Chelsea Peretti (sister) Jordan Peele (brother-in-law) |
Jonah H. Peretti (born January 1, 1974) is an American internet entrepreneur. He is famous for helping to start two big online news and entertainment companies: BuzzFeed and HuffPost. He also worked on a project called "Reblog" which helped people share content online.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Jonah Peretti was born in California on January 1, 1974. He grew up in Oakland. His father was a lawyer and painter. His mother was a schoolteacher.
School and College Years
Peretti went to The College Preparatory School in Oakland. After that, he studied at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He earned a degree in environmental studies in 1996.
In the mid-1990s, he taught computer science. This was at the Isidore Newman School in New Orleans. Later, he earned a master's degree from the MIT Media Lab in 2001.
Viral Email Story
While at MIT, Jonah Peretti had an email exchange with the company Nike. He asked them to print the word "sweatshop" on custom shoes. This email conversation became very popular online. It was one of the early examples of something "going viral" on the internet.
Building Online Companies
Jonah Peretti is known for creating popular websites. He helped start The Huffington Post and later founded BuzzFeed.
Starting The Huffington Post
In 2005, Peretti co-founded The Huffington Post. He worked with Kenneth Lerer, Andrew Breitbart, and Arianna Huffington. This website became a major online news source. Peretti left The Huffington Post in 2011. This was after AOL bought the company.
Creating BuzzFeed
In November 2006, Peretti started BuzzFeed. At first, BuzzFeed was known for fun internet content. This included internet memes and listicles (articles made of lists).
Over time, BuzzFeed grew. It started to publish serious news stories too. For example, it was the first to report that John McCain would support Mitt Romney in the 2012 Republican primary election.
Growth and Changes at BuzzFeed
BuzzFeed continued to expand. In 2014, it received a lot of money from investors. This helped the company grow even more.
In 2019, Peretti announced some changes at BuzzFeed. The company reduced its workforce by 15 percent. This was to help manage costs. The remaining employees at BuzzFeed later formed a union.
In 2021, BuzzFeed, led by Peretti, made changes at HuffPost. This included laying off some employees. In 2023, BuzzFeed also shut down its BuzzFeed News division. Peretti explained that the company had invested a lot in BuzzFeed News.
Personal Life
Jonah Peretti is married to Andrea Harner. They have twin sons. His younger sister is Chelsea Peretti. She is a well-known comedian, actress, and writer.
