Lifehacker is a weblog about life hacks and software that launched on 31 January 2005. The site was originally launched by Gawker Media and is owned by Ziff Davis. The blog posts cover a wide range of topics including Microsoft Windows, Macintosh, Linux programs, iOS, and Android, as well as general life tips and tricks. The website is known for its fast-paced release schedule from its inception, with content being published every half hour all day long.[1]
Lifehacker has international editions: Lifehacker Australia (as of 2022[update] owned by Pedestrian), Lifehacker Japan, and Lifehacker UK, which feature most posts from the U.S. edition along with extra content specific to local readers. Lifehacker UK folded on 9 September 2020 when its British publisher decided not to renew its license.
History
The Lifehacker logo used from its founding in 2005 until November 2023
Gina Trapani founded Lifehacker and was the site's sole blogger until September 2005, when two associate editors joined her, Erica Sadun and D. Keith Robinson. Other former associate editors include Wendy Boswell, Rick Broida, Jason Fitzpatrick, Kevin Purdy, and Jackson West. Former contributing editors include The How-To Geek and Tamar Weinberg. Lifehacker launched in January 2005 with an exclusive sponsorship by Sony. The highly publicized ad campaign was rumored to have cost $75,000 for three months.[2]
Since its founding, a variety of tech-oriented advertisers have appeared on the site. Lifehacker's frequent guest posts have included articles by Joe Anderson, Eszter Hargittai, Matt Haughey, Meg Hourihan, and Jeff Jarvis. On 16 January 2009, Trapani resigned as Lifehacker's lead editor and Adam Pash assumed the position. On 7 February 2011, Lifehacker revealed a redesigned site with a cleaner layout. On 15 April 2013, Lifehacker redesigned their site again to match the other newly redesigned Gawker sites like Kotaku. On 7 January 2013, Adam Pash moved on from Lifehacker to a new start-up, and Whitson Gordon became the new editor-in-chief. On 1 January 2016, Whitson Gordon parted ways with Lifehacker to another popular technology website, How-To Geek, as their editor-in-chief replacing Lowell Heddings.[3]
In his January 2016 announcement, Gordon confirmed that Alan Henry would take over as the interim editor pending interviewing processes. Alan Henry became the new editor-in-chief on 1 February 2016. On 3 February 2017, Henry left his position at Lifehacker. He has since moved on to write for The New York Times. On 28 February 2017, Melissa Kirsch became the editor-in-chief.[4] Alice Bradley was named editor-in-chief in June 2020 but left in March 2021.[5] Former deputy editor Jordan Calhoun succeeded her as editor-in-chief. Lifehacker was one of six websites that was purchased by Univision Communications in their acquisition of Gawker Media in August 2016.[6] On 13 March 2023, it was announced that Lifehacker had been sold from G/O Media to Ziff Davis.[7][8] In November 2023, as part of a brand refocus after the acquisition, Lifehacker updated with a new logo, a new site layout, and migration away from the Kinja platform. [9]
Accolades
Time named Lifehacker one of the "50 Coolest Web Sites" in 2005,[10] one of the "25 Sites We Can't Live Without" in 2006,[11] and one of the "25 Best Blogs" in 2009.[12]CNET named Lifehacker in their "Blog 100" in October 2005.[13]Wired presented Gina Trapani with a Rave Award in 2006 for Best Blog.[14] In the 2007 Weblog Awards, Lifehacker was awarded Best Group Weblog.[15]PC Magazine named Lifehacker in "Our Favorite 100 Blogs" in October 2007.[16] US Mensa named Lifehacker as one of their top 50 sites in 2010.[17]
