Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Could SB Nation possibly be looking to buy GDGT.com?

By
Peter Rojas and Ryan Block
Ex-Engadget employees Peter Rojas and Ryan Block

After weeks of senior Engadget staffers fluttering away like the mature butterflies they are, it looks like AOL’s migrating monarchs have found a new home at SB Nation. The Washington-D.C.-based umbrella for over 300 individual sports blogs will provide a roof for the Engadget defectors to start a new tech blog, led by former Engadget Editor-in-Chief Josh Topolsky.

An interesting wrinkle in AOL’s ongoing plans for media domination? Sure, but SB Nation’s ties and finances paint an even more interesting story of where this corporate talent swap could go.

SB Nation CEO Jim Bankoff is both an AOL alumni (he originally pushed the company to buy Engadget in 2005, and left his position as EVP in 2006) and investor in gdgt.com, another tech site founded by former Engadget blood. That puts him in the unique and potentially conflicted position as both a gdgt investor and CEO of the company that will own an upcoming Engadget spinoff. What does this mean for Engadget’s defectors and gdgt? A lot of things, potentially.

GDGT SB Nation Could SB Nation buy GDGT?

Rather than getting torn in two different directions by similar interests, Bankoff could try to combine them by attempting to buy gdgt.

Only last month, rumors swirled that AOL would swoop in and buy gdgt, a portion of which AOL Ventures already owns. But with sites like Engadget, TechCrunch and Switched already under its wings, gdgt might just seem redundant. It could make the perfect foil to the upcoming Engadget spinoff, though, helping SB Nation establish its own line of tech blogs and avoiding any potential conflicts for Bankoff. Back in November, the company sucked up $24 million of third-round funding, which could give it the cash to pull it off. The biggest caveat: AOL Ventures already has money in gdgt, which could put a kink in a potential purchase.

Could AOL buy SB Nation?

Despite its surplus of tech blogs, AOL has yet to proffer a sports blog that can punch at the weight of Gawker competitor Deadspin. And it wants one. With an alleged 12 million unique visitors monthly across 300 individual blogs, SB Nation could fill that gap for AOL. With Topolsky & Co. at SB Nation, it could allow AOL to rope back in the runaways, too. Would they want to go? Who knows, but SB Nation CEO Jim Bankoff likely doesn’t care. He could see the upcoming site as a “value add” to prepare SB Nation for a potential acquisition, building it to sell it.

Topics
Nick Mokey
Nick Mokey
Managing Editor
As Digital Trends’ Managing Editor, Nick Mokey oversees an editorial team delivering definitive reviews, enlightening…
Trying to buy a GPU in 2023 almost makes me miss the shortage
Two AMD Radeon RX 7000 graphics cards on a pink surface.

The days of the GPU shortage are long over, but somehow, buying a GPU is harder than ever -- and that sentiment has very little to do with stock levels. It's just that there are no obvious candidates when shopping anymore.

In a generation where no single GPU stands out as the single best graphics card, it's hard to jump on board with the latest from AMD and Nvidia. I don't want to see another GPU shortage, but the state of the graphics card market is far from where it should be.
This generation is all over the place

Read more
HP printers are heavily discounted in Best Buy’s flash sale
The HP - OfficeJet Pro 8034e Wireless All-In-One Inkjet Printer on a desk with a smartphone.

There’s good news in store if you’re looking to land a new printer at a discount this weekend. Best Buy is having a 48-hour flash sale on HP printers, with several that can compete with the best printers seeing some good prices. HP is almost always one of the best laptop brands, and it’s one of the same when it comes to printers. So if you’re looking for a new home or office printer, read onward on how to save on an HP printer at Best Buy.
HP DeskJet 2755e — $60, was $85

The HP DeskJet 2755e is a good entry-level printer. It’s got you covered if your printing needs are pretty basic, or if you don’t need to print in mass. This is a color InkJet printer, which makes it good for almost all uses. It can also make copies and scan in color, and it has mobile and wireless printing functionality. You can get set up quickly and easily with the HP Smart app that guides you through the setup process, and you can also use this app to print, scan and copy documents from your phone.

Read more
This tiny ThinkPad can’t quite keep up with the MacBook Air M2
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Nano Gen 3 rear view showing lid and logo.

While the laptop industry continues to move toward 14-inch laptops and larger, the 13-inch laptop remains an important category. One of the best is the Apple MacBook Air M2, with an extremely thin and well-built chassis, great performance, and incredibly long battery life.

Lenovo has recently introduced the third generation of its ThinkPad X1 Nano, one of the lightest laptops we've tested and a good performer as well. It's stiff competition, but which of these two diminutive laptops stands apart?
Specs and configurations

Read more