From tech pioneer to AI controversy: the turbulent history of the media giant CNET
In short: Founded in 1992 as a cable network, CNET grew into a dominant technology news outlet. Yet, its journey through acquisitions by CBS, Red Ventures, and Ziff Davis has been marked by high-profile editorial scandals, internal conflicts over corporate influence, and a recent, damaging pivot to artificial intelligence-generated content.
Launched in 1992 by Halsey Minor and Shelby Bonnie, CNET began as a 24-hour cable network focused on computers and the internet. By the mid-1990s, it expanded into a digital powerhouse, launching its website in 1995 and going public in 1996. The company grew aggressively through acquisitions, including the $1.6 billion purchase of ZDNET in 2000 and the addition of review aggregator Metacritic in 2005. However, the firm faced early turbulence, including a stock options backdating scandal between 1996 and 2003 that led to the resignation of its founders and a $105 million financial restatement.
The site's editorial independence has been a recurring point of contention. In 2013, CBS Corporation—which had acquired CNET in 2008—vetoed the staff's choice for a CES award because the product belonged to a company in litigation with CBS. This interference prompted resignations and led the Consumer Electronics Association to strip CNET of its role in selecting the award winner. Later, under Red Ventures, which bought the site for $500 million in 2020, the publication faced severe backlash for using undisclosed AI to write articles, many of which contained errors and plagiarism. This scandal, combined with a difficult ad market, saw the site's value plummet; by 2024, it was sold to Ziff Davis for just $100 million.
Beyond corporate governance, CNET has struggled with its reputation for reliability. Independent investigators have challenged the site's claims that its software downloads are free of spyware, noting the presence of malware. Furthermore, in 2023, the site deleted thousands of older articles in a bid to improve search engine optimization, a practice Google explicitly discouraged. These cumulative events, from the 2005 Google interview boycott following a privacy-invading profile of Eric Schmidt to the recent AI-driven staff unionization, illustrate a complex legacy of a brand that helped define the early internet but has since grappled with the pressures of the modern digital economy.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: CNET
- Also: Wikidata — CNET · CC0
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