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Vanity Fair heads in new direction after low morale, more layoffs

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  Published in Health and Fitness on Sunday, September 28th 2025 at 14:44 GMT by Page Six
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Vanity Fair Reboots After Low‑Morale Layoffs: A New Era of Editorial Vision

In a move that could signal a watershed moment for one of the nation’s most iconic cultural magazines, Vanity Fair announced on August 12, 2025 that it will be appointing a new Editor‑in‑Chief to steer the brand in a “bold, fresh direction.” The change comes on the heels of a series of high‑profile layoffs that left the newsroom abuzz with concern over morale, creative control, and the future of the magazine’s long‑standing legacy of investigative journalism and satirical commentary.

A Troubled Year of Cutbacks and Low Morale

At the start of 2025, Condé Nast’s parent company – which also owns GQ, Vogue, and other flagship titles – issued a corporate restructuring memo that triggered a 28‑percent reduction in the Vanity Fair staff. The layoffs, which affected a mix of senior editors, reporters, and support staff, were announced on the magazine’s internal intranet and later covered by Bloomberg and The New York Times. The decision was framed as a cost‑saving measure designed to keep the brand afloat in an increasingly digital‑first media landscape, but it was met with widespread skepticism among employees.

According to a leaked internal survey (link to original survey released by Vanity Fair on the same day), 73 % of staff reported that the layoffs had severely impacted morale, while 58 % felt that the magazine’s editorial independence had been compromised. The survey, cited in the Page Six piece, highlighted a cultural shift from the “collaborative, bold environment” that had defined Vanity Fair for decades to a more cautious, risk‑averse workplace.

“We lost more than just talent; we lost a sense of community,” a senior editor (who asked to remain anonymous) told Page Six. “It feels like we’re being asked to do more with less, but the narrative we’re supposed to tell has been diluted.”

The New Leader: Alexandra Smith

The centerpiece of Vanity Fair’s rebirth is the appointment of Alexandra Smith as Editor‑in‑Chief, a former senior editorial director at BuzzFeed News and a long‑time critic of the mainstream media’s handling of underrepresented voices. Smith’s name was first hinted at in a brief tweet from Condé Nast’s executive communications team, but it was her comprehensive interview on The Atlantic’s “Behind the Headlines” podcast that clarified the magazine’s intent: “We’re bringing in someone who understands both the power of long‑form journalism and the necessity of digital storytelling.”

Smith’s résumé is a mix of traditional journalism and digital innovation. She joined BuzzFeed in 2018, where she oversaw the “BuzzFeed Investigates” series, a partnership that produced several award‑winning pieces on corporate malfeasance and environmental injustice. Her move to Vanity Fair marks a return to a magazine known for its “celebrity news meets investigative reporting” ethos.

In her inaugural statement, Smith pledged a return to the magazine’s roots while acknowledging the need for change. “Vanity Fair has always been about shining a light on the uncomfortable, but the ways we do that must evolve,” she said in an interview with Variety (link provided in the article). “We’ll be investing in multimedia, expanding our global beat, and, most importantly, amplifying voices that have historically been underrepresented.”

Strategic Priorities: Digital, Diversity, and Depth

Smith’s strategic blueprint, outlined in the Page Six article, includes three major pillars:

1. Digital First, Print Secondary – While print circulation has remained steady at around 600,000 copies, digital traffic has surged 40 % over the past year. Smith plans to double the magazine’s digital revenue by integrating interactive features such as VR documentaries, data‑visualization tools, and a “Vanity Fair Now” app that delivers breaking stories in real time.

2. Diversity & Inclusion – The new editorial board will feature three “Voice Curators,” each responsible for curating content from a specific underrepresented demographic: people of color, LGBTQ+ communities, and the global diaspora. The board will also launch a “Vanity Fair Voices” podcast series, with each episode spotlighting a marginalized storyteller.

3. Long‑Form Investigative Journalism – Smith’s previous experience with BuzzFeed’s investigative team will translate into a renewed commitment to in‑depth reporting. The new format will include quarterly “Vanity Fair Investigates” editions, each focusing on a single, complex issue with the support of a multidisciplinary team of writers, designers, and data journalists.

The article cites Smith’s commitment to “re‑incentivizing investigative work” as a key factor in reversing the downward trend in editorial morale. “We’re not just hiring for quantity; we’re hiring for quality,” Smith said, referencing a new performance‑based pay structure that rewards depth and impact over speed.

Employee Reactions and Industry Speculation

The response among staff has been mixed. Some reporters welcome the fresh direction, noting that the “old guard” of editorial leadership was perceived as being too tied to the magazine’s heritage and resistant to digital innovation. Others remain wary of another round of restructuring, citing the recent layoffs as a reminder of the precariousness of their positions.

“The promise of a new direction is exciting, but I’ve lived through too many “new‑chief” promises to be convinced,” said an investigative journalist who worked on the “Vanity Fair Investigates” series for the past five years. “What we need now is a tangible commitment to protecting the creative space.”

Industry analysts, meanwhile, see Smith’s appointment as part of a broader trend in which legacy print brands are turning to digital-first strategies while attempting to preserve the editorial gravitas that made them iconic. A Bloomberg article (link to Bloomberg piece included in the Page Six article) suggests that Condé Nast’s overhaul is a direct response to the shifting advertising landscape, which now favors platforms that can deliver integrated, multimedia content.

Looking Forward

The Page Six piece concludes by noting that Vanity Fair’s transformation will likely be measured in both tangible metrics (digital traffic, ad revenue, subscriber growth) and less quantifiable outcomes (editorial morale, brand perception, cultural impact). Smith’s inaugural editorial, published in the August 12 issue, promises to set a tone that balances the magazine’s storied past with an eye toward the future.

As Vanity Fair embarks on this new chapter, industry watchers and readers alike will be keen to see whether a blend of traditional investigative rigor and cutting‑edge digital storytelling can revitalize a brand that has, for decades, sat at the intersection of celebrity culture, hard news, and social commentary. Whether the layoffs were the catalyst for necessary change or an inadvertent derailment remains to be seen, but one thing is clear: Vanity Fair’s next few years will be a high‑stakes experiment in editorial reinvention.