Top editors in Hearst's digital division will be laid off today, a source familiar with the company's plans told Mashable.
Amina Akhtar, editor of Elle.com, and Abby Gardner, digital director of Cosmopolitan magazine, have both received layoff notices. Akhtar confirmed the news via Twitter:
What a Tuesday! Officially looking for work if you know of anything. #layoffs— Amina Akhtar (@Drrramina) August 20, 2013
Hearst did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The layoffs come at a curious time for the women's lifestyle titles: One of their busiest periods, New York Fashion Week, kicks off in just two weeks.
Update: Gardner's work e-mail auto-reply confirms she is no longer working at Cosmo. More layoffs are expected to come -- if not today, then over the next few weeks, our source said.
Update #2: It looks like Hearst isn't doing across-the-board layoffs: Instead, it appears Hearst has already hired replacements for both staffers under their noises. Amy O'Dell, editor of BuzzFeed's women's vertical, Shift, has been named editor of Cosmopolitan.com, and Leah Chernikoff, editorial director of Fashionista, has been named editor of Elle.com. Both will start work Sept. 16. The magazine publisher has also announced that Annie Fox of Spin Media has been appointed director of programming for Hearst Digital.
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