boingboing.net
Boing Boing is an independent, privately held editorial blog and community founded in 1988 (web since 1995), publishing original reporting and curated links on technology, culture, and civil liberties for a general consumer readership, monetized via advertising, affiliate commerce, and premium email subscriptions.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What boingboing.net does
Boing Boing (boingboing.net) is an independent editorial media property operated by Happy Mutants, LLC, a privately held California company. It was co-founded in 1988 by Mark Frauenfelder and Carla Sinclair as a print zine and has been publishing on the web continuously since 1995, making it one of the longest-running blogs on the internet. The site publishes original reporting, link curation, and personal commentary covering technology, culture, science fiction, makers, civil liberties, art, design, and what it calls "weird internet phenomena," reaching what the company describes as millions of daily users.
The product portfolio is built on a conventional content stack: a WordPress-based blog at boingboing.net, a Discourse-hosted community forum at bbs.boingboing.net, a StackCommerce-powered merchandise and deals store at store.boingboing.net, a SubStack-based email newsletter ('Zine) with a premium ad-free subscription tier, and a minor utility (YouTube Thumbnail Generator). The business generates revenue from a diversified mix of programmatic and partner-sold display advertising (Freestar, RevContent), affiliate commissions (Amazon Associates, StackCommerce), marketplace and classifieds transactions (Sellwild, Antengo), and premium reader subscriptions via SubStack. Content is distributed through the website, the email newsletter, staff Twitter/X accounts, and a global reader base primarily concentrated in the United States.
The company is editorially led by founders Mark Frauenfelder and Carla Sinclair alongside co-editors David Pescovitz (Managing Partner), Rob Beschizza, and publisher Jason Weisberger, with a systems lead (Ken Snider) handling operations. Headcount is reported at 11-50 employees. There is no parent company, no institutional funding, and no public listing; ownership sits within Happy Mutants, LLC, governed under California law with servers housed in Canada.
boingboing.net firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- boingboing.net
- Legal name
- Happy Mutants, LLC
- Website
- https://boingboing.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Boing Boing is an independent, privately held editorial blog and community founded in 1988 (web since 1995), publishing original reporting and curated links on technology, culture, and civil liberties for a general consumer readership, monetized via advertising, affiliate commerce, and premium email subscriptions.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
boingboing.net industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Editorial Media and Digital Publishing
- NAICS
- Books Printing (323117)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Food, Cooking & Beverage Magazines (MPAJAEAF)
Keywords
Where boingboing.net is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
boingboing.net business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Advertising: Primary revenue source through display ads, sponsored posts, widgets, banner ads, and various advertising formats managed through partners like Freestar and RevContent
- Affiliate Marketing: Commission-based revenue from product links including Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, with tracking of purchases through affiliate links
- Merchandise Sales: Boing Boing Shop featuring deals on hardware, software, and online courses through partner StackCommerce. Posts are clearly labeled as shop content with commission disclosure.
- Premium Subscriptions: Email 'Zine and Premium Ad-Free Experience subscription through SubStack platform
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free content access with advertising |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
boingboing.net product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Boing Boing is an editorial media property that publishes original reporting, curated links, and personal commentary covering technology, culture, science fiction, makers, civil liberties, art, and design. The platform monetizes through advertising, affiliate marketing, a merchandise/deals shop, and a premium ad-free email newsletter subscription, supported by a Discourse-based community discussion forum.
Product overview
Boing Boing operates as a unified content platform consisting of the main blog/news website publishing original reporting and curated links about technology, culture, and internet phenomena, paired with a community Discussion Forum for user conversations. The company also runs a Store for merchandise and software deals (powered by StackCommerce), offers a Premium email newsletter subscription tier with ad-free experience (via SubStack), and provides a YouTube thumbnail generator tool. The portfolio includes both free content ad-supported by advertising and affiliate revenue, plus premium paid subscriptions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Boing Boing Blog Main website publishing original reporting, link curation, and personal commentary covering technology, culture, science fiction, makers, civil liberties, art, design, and unusual internet phenomena. Posts range from short links to longer features and are free to read with advertising support.
- Boing Boing Discussion Forum
- Boing Boing Store Merchandise and deals section powered by partner StackCommerce, offering curated hardware, software, and online courses. Boing Boing earns commission on purchases made through affiliate links, with shop content clearly labeled.
- Boing Boing Email 'Zine and Premium Ad-Free Experience Email newsletter subscription ('Zine) and premium ad-free experience delivered via SubStack, providing daily curated content to subscribers on a recurring basis.
Companies that use boingboing.net
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
boingboing.net technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
Feature1 record
boingboing.net partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- StackCommerce/StackSocialcorePartner for selling merchandise via the Boing Boing Shop. Handles product fulfillment, checkout process, and customer data. Boing Boing earns commission on purchases made through shop links.
- SubStackcorePlatform partner for email newsletter distribution and premium subscription management including the email 'Zine and Premium Ad-Free Experience.
- Civilized Discourse Construction Kit, Inc. (Discourse)coreProvides and hosts the Discourse.org Discussion Forum at bbs.boingboing.net. Allows account creation usable across all Discourse-hosted forums.
- FreestarmajorThird-party advertising partner that places and recognizes unique cookies on user browsers to serve targeted advertisements. Part of the advertising revenue model.
- RevContentmajorManages content referral advertising on the site as part of the advertising revenue model.
- Amazon Services LLC Associates ProgrammajorAffiliate advertising program providing means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Boing Boing earns commissions on qualifying purchases.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
boingboing.net competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Gizmodo: Gizmodo is a long-running tech, science, and pop-culture blog with a similar editorial mix of original reporting and curated weird-internet content; both properties covered the 'weird web' vertical and were peer publications in the Gawker-era media ecosystem.
- The Verge: The Verge covers technology, science, and culture with a mix of original reporting and commentary, similar to Boing Boing's blend; both sites cover the intersection of tech and culture for a tech-savvy audience.
- Ars Technica: Ars Technica is a long-running technology news and policy publication that overlaps with Boing Boing in covering tech, privacy, and digital rights — and shares Boing Boing's distinctive editorial viewpoint on civil liberties and technology policy.
- Engadget: Engadget is a consumer-tech blog featuring gadget coverage, original reporting, and curated posts aimed at tech enthusiasts — directly comparable to Boing Boing's gadget and maker-culture coverage.
- Lifehacker: Lifehacker publishes tips, recommendations, and curated deals aimed at a general tech-savvy audience — closely comparable to Boing Boing's curation voice and its affiliate/Shop monetization.
- Slashdot: Slashdot is one of the internet's longest-running tech news community sites, with user-driven discussion of technology stories — comparable to Boing Boing's longevity and its Discourse-powered reader forum.
- Mashable: Mashable is a digital media site covering tech, culture, and internet phenomena with a mix of original reporting and curated viral content — structurally similar in voice and audience to Boing Boing.
- Hacker News: Hacker News is a tech-focused community news site with user-submitted and discussed stories — comparable to Boing Boing in its tech readership and its emphasis on community discussion of stories.
Broad incumbents
- Wired: Wired is a scaled, mainstream technology and culture magazine and site covering many of the same topics as Boing Boing (tech, internet culture, civil liberties) but operates as a much larger incumbent with broader scope and editorial depth.
- Vice: Vice is a broad digital media company covering technology, culture, and civil-liberties issues with an independent editorial voice — overlaps with Boing Boing's editorial positioning but operates at much broader scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
boingboing.net social profiles
Digital presenceboingboing.net compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
boingboing.net financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
boingboing.net leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
boingboing.net funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
boingboing.net M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about boingboing.net
What does boingboing.net do?
Boing Boing is an editorial media property that publishes original reporting, curated links, and personal commentary covering technology, culture, science fiction, makers, civil liberties, art, and design. The platform monetizes through advertising, affiliate marketing, a merchandise/deals shop, and a premium ad-free email newsletter subscription, supported by a Discourse-based community discussion forum.
Is boingboing.net a public or private company?
boingboing.net is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was boingboing.net founded?
boingboing.net was founded in 1988. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is boingboing.net based?
boingboing.net is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does boingboing.net make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Advertising is the primary driver. The others are affiliate Marketing, merchandise Sales and premium Subscriptions.
Who are boingboing.net's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Gizmodo, The Verge, Ars Technica, Engadget, Lifehacker, Slashdot, Mashable and Hacker News. Broad incumbents are Wired and Vice.
Does boingboing.net have an API?
No public API is recorded for boingboing.net.
What industry is boingboing.net in?
boingboing.net's product category is Online Editorial Media and Digital Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAEAF, Food, Cooking & Beverage Magazines. Its NAICS code is 323117 and its SIC code is 2731.