Jonah Peretti

Jonah H. Peretti is an American internet entrepreneur and co-founder and CEO of BuzzFeed, the digital media company that redefined online content sharing. He previously co-founded The Huffington Post in 2005, serving as an architect until its sale to AOL for $315 million in 2011.

Born in California and raised in Oakland, Peretti graduated from UC Santa Cruz with a degree in environmental studies in 1996. After teaching computer science in New Orleans, he earned a master's from the MIT Media Lab in 2001. An early viral moment came when an email exchange with Nike over printing "sweatshop" on custom shoes spread across the internet-a preview of the instincts that would later define BuzzFeed.

Peretti launched BuzzFeed in November 2006 as an experimental site tracking viral content. Under his leadership, BuzzFeed evolved from listicles into a media force, raising over $85 million in venture funding and going public in 2021. The company broke news, including John McCain's 2012 presidential endorsement.

Challenges followed as digital advertising shifted toward tech giants. Peretti managed cost-cutting rounds, including a 2019 workforce reduction and the 2023 closure of BuzzFeed News. In 2024, he reduced his base salary and shifted most pay into stock options as the company pivots toward AI.

Peretti's sister is comedian Chelsea Peretti (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), and his brother-in-law is filmmaker Jordan Peele. Both siblings attended MIT.