Versant has emerged as one of multiple suitors in talks to acquire the network of approximately 40 podcasts. Sources with knowledge of the talks told the Times that those discussions were still in early stages.
The appointment comes at a time when web browsers are seeing a revitalization of sorts as AI changes how people use the internet. After more than a decade of dominating the market, incumbents like Firefox, Google Chrome and Apple's Safari are facing a fresh challenge from companies like Perplexity, Arc, OpenAI, and Opera, which are focused on baking in AI models and agents into their browsers to bring AI to users at the first point of contact with the internet: the web browser.
For 2026, I keep coming back to one truth: The future of journalism depends on our ability to diversify revenue far more intentionally. For years, I believed one of my former employers was among the strongest examples of this model. During my tenure there, they had newsletter sponsorships, events, digital and print advertising, and a clear playbook for how each line supported the others. Today's landscape requires an even deeper level of diversification. It's not enough to have multiple revenue lines.
