The Baffler
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1988
- HeadquartersCambridge, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
The Baffler firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Baffler
- Legal name
- The Baffler Foundation Inc.
- Website
- https://thebaffler.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1988
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Baffler industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Literary Magazine
- NAICS
- Periodical Publishers (513120), Book Publishers (51313)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- E-book Subscription & Bundling Services (MPAJAMAB)
Keywords
Where The Baffler is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cambridge
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Baffler business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subscriptions: Annual subscriptions providing five print issues of the magazine plus digital access. Subscribers are called 'far-flung disaffiliates' and receive commentary on life and letters in America.
- Donations: Tax-deductible donations to the Baffler Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization. EIN: 27-4645833. Donation tiers of $10, $25, $50, $100, $250, or custom amounts.
- Merchandise: Sale of branded merchandise including bucket hats ($30) and other items through the Baffler Store.
- Events: Revenue from events including film screenings, panel discussions, and book launches such as 'Global Texas at BAM' and 'Mood Machine Book Launch'.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Annual subscription - five print issues |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Donation tiers |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Baffler merchandise |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
The Baffler product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Baffler publishes a print literary magazine (five issues per year) and a digital publishing platform featuring left-wing political criticism, cultural analysis, short stories, poems, and art. It also operates a weekly email newsletter, a branded merchandise e-commerce store, and a live events program including panels, film screenings, and book launches. The entire operation is owned by the Baffler Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supported by subscriptions and tax-deductible donations.
Product overview
The Baffler is a literary magazine and digital publishing platform offering a unified portfolio of print and digital content products. The core offering is The Baffler Magazine, published as five print issues annually plus near-daily online content including political criticism, cultural analysis, fiction, and poetry. The portfolio also includes a weekly newsletter subscription, a merchandise store, live events programming, and books published under the Baffler brand. Content across all products covers left-wing political criticism, cultural commentary, and literary arts.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Baffler Magazine America's leading voice of incisive and unconventional left-wing political criticism, cultural analysis, short stories, poems, and art. Founded in 1988, the magazine publishes five print issues annually.
- The Baffler Website
- Baffler Newsletter A weekly email newsletter delivering stories straight to subscribers' inboxes.
- The Baffler Store Online store at store.thebaffler.com selling branded merchandise including bucket hats ($30) and other items.
- Baffler Events Live events including panel discussions, film screenings, book launches, and symposia held around the country, often in partnership with institutions like BAM.
- Baffler Books Books published by The Baffler, including titles like Liz Pelly's Mood Machine.
Companies that use The Baffler
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Baffler technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Baffler partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)minorThe Baffler partnered with BAM for 'Global Texas at BAM', a series of four films interrogating the forbidding terrain and complex history of Texas. The event took place June 30 and July 8, 2026 at BAM in Brooklyn, NY. This is a cultural programming partnership for a film series tied to issue no. 84.
- Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)minorThe Baffler collaborated with BAM on 'Facing the Future', a series exploring the political trope of an 'emerging majority' tied to issue no. 75.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Baffler competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Paris Review: Independent literary magazine publishing fiction, poetry, and interviews with a strong cultural criticism voice. Closely comparable to The Baffler in literary fiction/poetry emphasis, independent nonprofit-adjacent structure, and small editorial team.
- Harper's Magazine: Long-running American monthly magazine combining literary content with political commentary and cultural criticism. Comparable to The Baffler in blending fiction, essays, and political coverage, though broader in ideological range.
- n+1: Independent literary and intellectual magazine publishing essays, fiction, and poetry with a left-leaning political sensibility. Closely comparable to The Baffler in scale, audience, and intellectual positioning as a niche literary-political publication.
- Jacobin: Left-wing political magazine offering socialist perspectives on politics, economics, and culture. Directly comparable to The Baffler in ideological clarity, target audience, and quarterly print-plus-digital publishing format.
- The Nation: America's oldest continuously published weekly magazine, providing left-wing political analysis and cultural commentary. Directly comparable to The Baffler in political positioning, target audience of progressive readers, and nonprofit-style editorial advocacy model.
- In These Times: Independent left-wing magazine covering labor, economics, politics, and culture. Directly comparable to The Baffler in target audience of progressive readers, nonprofit-style editorial mission, and magazine-plus-digital publishing model.
- Dissent: Left-wing magazine focused on democratic socialist ideas, politics, and culture. Closely comparable to The Baffler in ideological positioning, intellectual audience, and independent magazine format.
- Boston Review: Left-leaning political and intellectual magazine covering politics, culture, and ideas. Comparable to The Baffler in ideological positioning, intellectual readership, and blend of political commentary with cultural criticism.
Broad incumbents
- The New Yorker: Major weekly magazine covering politics, culture, fiction, and poetry. Comparable to The Baffler in literary fiction/poetry publishing and political-cultural crossover, but operates at vastly larger scale and broader ideological audience.
Emerging players
- The Intercept: Left-leaning digital-first investigative journalism outlet covering politics and culture. Comparable to The Baffler in progressive ideological positioning and political commentary focus, though primarily digital rather than print-periodical.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Baffler social profiles
Digital presenceThe Baffler compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
The Baffler financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Baffler leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Baffler funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Baffler 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 The Baffler
What does The Baffler do?
The Baffler publishes a print literary magazine (five issues per year) and a digital publishing platform featuring left-wing political criticism, cultural analysis, short stories, poems, and art. It also operates a weekly email newsletter, a branded merchandise e-commerce store, and a live events program including panels, film screenings, and book launches. The entire operation is owned by the Baffler Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization supported by subscriptions and tax-deductible donations.
Is The Baffler a public or private company?
The Baffler is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Baffler founded?
The Baffler was founded in 1988. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Baffler based?
The Baffler is headquartered in Cambridge, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Baffler make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are donations, merchandise and events.
Who are The Baffler's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Paris Review, Harper's Magazine, n+1, Jacobin, The Nation, In These Times, Dissent and Boston Review. The New Yorker is listed as a broad incumbent. The Intercept is listed as an emerging player.
Does The Baffler have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Baffler.
What industry is The Baffler in?
The Baffler's product category is Literary Magazine. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAMAB, E-book Subscription & Bundling Services. Its NAICS code is 513120 and its SIC code is 2721.