Buzzfeed is definitely known for a lot of snackable and quick content that is hilarious and entertaining.
For a long time, Buzzfeed was just an American site with largely Western content on it, so it was quite something for us Indian kids when the Indian branch of the popular site opened up.
Among the first ones I remember from Buzzfeed India was Imaan Sheikh, a Dubai-based blogger who eventually came to India for the job.
However, it was quite a shock when news came out that she had resigned or been laid off from Buzzfeed India’s team.
Did She Resign Or Was Laid Off?
Initially, there was some talks of how Imaan had actually resigned from Buzzfeed India since no one in their right mind would actually fire her.
But all that confusion was laid to rest when early in the morning on 30th January 2019 she posted this on her Twitter:
My time at BuzzFeed, after 4 years and 7 months, has come to an end. It was an incredible experience, even though I worked remotely for most of it.
I'm thankful for what my coworkers (who are also my friends) have done for me.
And you are welcome, too, @BuzzFeed.— Imaan Sheikh (@sheikhimaan) January 29, 2019
Since then her timeline has been filled with people mostly colleagues and fans talking about her, wishing her well and commending all the work she has done till now.
.@sheikhimaan was one of the first and loudest voices of BuzzFeed. If you like our memes, you should know that she's made a LOT of them. If you like how women-centric our voice is, a large part of that is owed to Imaan.
— Sonia Mariam Thomas (@SoKneeOh) January 30, 2019
.@sheikhimaan's accurate and honest summaries of Bollywood movies was one of the best features to come out of desi Internet. I'm sure whatever she does next will be as brilliant as Tuffy's decision to give Nisha's letter to Rajesh instead of Prem ❤️ https://t.co/d2d5cL0kvd
— Shreemi Verma (@shreemiverma) January 29, 2019
I was dreading this so much, but all good things come to an end. Please know, @sheikhimaan, that I learned more about pop culture, feminism in bollywood, desi lifestyle through you and not in cultural studies lecture halls. Even now, FB memories pop up about your honest reviews.
— Deepa Ranganathan (@SinfullyAlive) January 30, 2019
For those living under a rock, Imaan Sheik joined Buzzfeed India all the way back in 2014 and perhaps her most popular series was the ‘Accurate and Honest Summary’ of various Bollywood movies that she did.
Prior to this, she had her own blog called IMAANSHEIKH -WOMAN WITH GENDER-NEUTRAL NAME REPORTING LIVE FROM THE BRO ZONE. It was here that she most her initial pictorial summary of Hindi movies which she later renamed the ‘Accurate and Honest Summary’.
This series instantly became a big hit among the Indian readers and myself personally who laughed to the point of crying over her hilarious puns and jokes.
I found her in 2014 itself, around the time when Buzzfeed India was just beginning and I remember pouring over this summary series of her constantly because it was so relatable, funny and sarcastic.
Her first piece in this series was one she did on Dhoom 3 all the way back in December of 2013.
In the past 34 days, three major things happened in my life:
1. My mom had a stroke
2. I got engaged
3. I got laid offAnd the words I have found myself using most online during all three have been “thank you”.
— Imaan Sheikh (@sheikhimaan) January 30, 2019
This tweet though cleared it all up that Imaan had not resigned instead had been laid off from the Buzzfeed India team.
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Why Is Her Lay Off Such A Big Deal?
Buzzfeed has recently been in the news for cutting off about 15% of their workforce, that amounts to almost 200 employees.
This had not yet touched the Indian team, but the lay off of Imaan is certainly a shocker since she was not only one of the oldest but also the most popular bloggers on the site.
It is also to be noted that this is the second round of job cuts that Buzzfeed has carried out in 14 months. Before this about 100 jobs had been cut from a total staff of 1700 people.
As per reports, it seems that these job cuts are being done to remain profitable along with the reality that digital ad revenue is not bringing the money that the company wants.
Especially in face of big organisations like Google and Facebook, that consume a big part of the digital advertising revenue, the actual company have little left to them. Even video content it seems it not performing as well as expected at least in terms of bringing in revenue.
But it seems that Imaan won’t have any problem finding another job since several people are already rallying for her on social media.
In fact, Faye D’Souza, editor of news channel Mirror Now even reached out to Imaan on Twitter in talks for a job.
https://twitter.com/fayedsouza/status/1090501073746448385
They eventually took the conversation to direct messages (DM) but it is clear that in the years she was with Buzzfeed, Imaan certainly made a name for herself.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: LatestLY, Hindustan Times, The News Minute
Find the blogger at: @chirali_08
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