The Athletic keeps growing .......

It's just an assumption, I agree. But I would guess that it costs at least $15,000 for benefits for a full-timer. (Any HR professionals who could confirm or refine that guess?) Also, some people are making more than $100,000. And of course we're not even talking about huge travel costs and costs to support the site.

 

If they even offer benefits. Do they? Or are most of their people contract employees?

 

Hard to imagine so many established veterans signing on without health benefits.

 

Pretty common to work as a contractor no matter where you are these days.

I assume there's a tier of employment at the Athletic with old-time benefits - but I also assume most of the writers are now freelancers on a contract.

 

Winner, winner.

 

That would be an incorrect assumption.

 

Which part?

 

I'm curious, too.

But I'll be happiest if everyone gets benefits.

 

There also are marketing people, metrics people, server costs, etc. The editorial side isn’t all that needs to be covered.

 

Also interesting to me. How are they getting extra revenues out of subscribers beyond subscriptions?

 

So once you factor in salary, website costs, travel, benefits and overhead, there's virtually no way they're turning a profit at 500K subscribers.

 

Sounds like a good amount of people pay monthly.