404 Media

404 Media is an online publication focusing on technology and internet reporting. The publication covers topics such as hacking, sex work, niche online communities, and the right to repair movement. The publication is worker-owned.

History
404 Media was founded in 2023 by former staff of Vice Media's Motherboard after it filed for bankruptcy. Among the founding members of 404 Media were Jason Koebler, the former editor-in-chief at Motherboard, as well as senior editors Emanuel Maiberg and Samantha Cole, and writer Joseph Cox. Fast Company summarized the outlet's creation as "bootstrapp[ing] a spartan setup consisting of a Stripe account and the Ghost web-hosting platform".

Business model
404 Media is owned by its reporters, a model that was inspired by organizations such as Defector Media and Hell Gate. The company offers two paid tiers, from a $100 annual subscription to a $1,000 annual subscription.

In January 2024, the website began requiring email addresses to make it harder for websites using Artificial Intelligence article spinners to scrape its articles. As of February 2024, the company is profitable.

Notable reports and coverage
In January 2024, the outlet reported claiming that AI-generated rewrites of 404 Media articles had begun to show up on search engines, with some of these AI-generated stories prioritized over the original article on Google Search.

During the Taylor Swift deepfake pornography controversy, a 404 Media investigation discovered that the images originated from 4chan and were being distributed on Telegram before making it onto social media platforms.

In February 2024, 404 Media released a report alleging that Tumblr and WordPress were selling users' data to AI companies OpenAI and Midjourney for training purposes. 404 Media has also covered how so-called "ghost kitchens", delivery-focused restaurants on apps such as UberEats and DoorDash that sell food from other restaurants, have utilized generative AI to create product images.

Reception
In an article about 2024 media industry layoffs, the Financial Times highlighted 404 Media as a successful new media venture amid an "existential crisis" in the industry. The article stated that the publication has been noted for "publishing an eye-catching range of stories about the tech sector", and noted that "Not only is it producing good stories but its founders say it is breaking even".