A Reviews Site Embroiled In Ai Scandal Is Back From The Dead

Last summer, nan portion astatine Gannett’s personification reviews tract Reviewed received unspeakable news: nan media elephantine was shuttering nan afloat vertical and would beryllium laying disconnected dozens of employees. Effective November 1st, Reviewed would cease operations. Gannett blamed Google’s changing hunt algorithm, which had “degraded [its] business model.” The shuttering was a rustle to nan overmuch than 70 employees, who, successful Gannett’s words, would beryllium “affected” by nan decision. The closure came aft an already tumultuous period: successful 2023, nan NewsGuild of New York, which represents unionized Reviewed workers, publically accused Gannett of moving AI-generated merchandise reviews connected nan site. The contented was pulled aft portion outcry.

You wouldn’t cognize immoderate of this backstory — aliases that Reviewed is technically unopen down — if you were browsing nan tract today: a smattering of articles connected nan homepage tout nan champion rakes, slow cookers, and video doorbells of 2025. Reviewed published astir 2 12 articles during 2025’s CES, and its Instagram page posted intermittent updates from nan discarded and acquisition show event. The homepage appears unchanged — there’s nary announcement for readers that nan tract is expected to beryllium dead. It trudges connected for illustration a zombie, promising thousands of hours of merchandise testing by trustworthy experts.

Many of nan articles promising “the best” products of 2025 are, successful fact, aged stories retrofitted pinch new, timely headlines. An article for nan champion patio heaters, for example, indicates nan communicative was really past updated 2 years agone successful January 2023 and written by a portion unit who nary longer useful astatine Reviewed.

When nan shuttering of nan tract was announced, nan knowing of erstwhile portion was that nan website would enactment online for a play of time. What they didn’t expect was that their existing activity would beryllium updated and that Reviewed would proceed connected arsenic if point had happened.

“As acold arsenic we were aware, nan tract was going to unopen down permanently, and aggregate writers were redeeming PDFs of their activity successful suit nan tract went wholly offline,” says a erstwhile staffer, who requested anonymity owed to separation agreements they signed. “None of america were alert that nan tract was going to proceed being updated, nor that our bylines would beryllium updated and promoted connected nan site.”

So what precisely is going connected astatine Reviewed, a tract that’s expected to beryllium unopen down? Even erstwhile portion members personification been unsure but personification watched arsenic their erstwhile workplace trudges on.

One punishment reappears crossed different pages: StackCommerce, an online shopping level that useful pinch publishers to create relationship trading content. Some of nan stories from CES connected Reviewed are authored by group who opportunity they activity astatine StackCommerce. A page for unfastened jobs redirects to StackCommerce’s careers page, arsenic does Reviewed’s privateness argumentation page. StackCommerce’s main operating serviceman is nan erstwhile wide caput of Reviewed, according to LinkedIn. Gannett did not respond to The Verge’s questions and alternatively directed america to StackCommerce.

Reached for comment, StackCommerce CEO Karl House confirmed to The Verge via email that nan institution acquired Reviewed connected December 1st, including nan brand, IP, domain, and content, but declined to proviso position of nan sale.

“StackCommerce engaged pinch Gannett aft they announced they were shutting down Reviewed successful August 2024,” House said. “StackCommerce has since hired 5 erstwhile Reviewed employees.”

The acquisition was mostly kept quiet. There appears to personification been nary wide announcement by either connection — until The Verge reached retired to StackCommerce successful January. Shortly after, StackCommerce shared a blog station announcing nan acquisition.

Readers who relied connected Reviewed recommendations personification apt not realized that nan tract has changed hands. It’s too not clear really reviews and recommendations are carried retired fixed nan caller ownership. Many of Reviewed’s editorial promises enactment connected nan site, for illustration nan state that nan tract spends “thousands of hours” connected “tough, objective, hands-on testing” of products. StackCommerce did not respond to questions astir nan company’s testing process.

“Testing was hands-on and conducted by either dedicated testers from nan labs, aliases knowledgeable experts that would usually proceedings nan merchandise (whether it beryllium an appliance aliases a brace of sneakers) for a important magnitude of time, sometimes up to a week aliases more,” nan erstwhile Reviewed worker said. It’s not clear really nan outlet is deciding nan “best” products of 2025 — and from nan reader’s perspective, nan tract looks unchanged. For example, by Gannett’s ain admission, nan merchandise testing laboratory successful Cambridge, Massachusetts, closed past year, yet nan website still references an in-lab testing process.

Complicating nan matter is that galore of nan Reviewed unit members who mislaid their jobs past autumn were unionized workers (some labour successful elder positions were reassigned elsewhere successful USA Today). The narration betwixt Gannett and Reviewed was contentious: unit had antecedently walked disconnected nan occupation aft they were incapable to unafraid bargaining dates pinch management.

At nan clip of nan AI saga, nan nationalist raised concerns astir their members’ futures astatine Gannett that now look prescient.

“It’s an effort to undermine and move members of nan nationalist whether they’re utilizing AI, subcontractors of a trading firm, aliases immoderate cognition of both,” nan nationalist antecedently told The Verge successful a statement.