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Commitments and Contingencies
 9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2023
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Commitments and Contingencies Commitments and Contingencies
Guarantees
In the course of its business, the Company both provides and receives indemnities which are intended to allocate certain risks associated with business transactions. Similarly, the Company may remain contingently liable for various obligations of a business that has been divested in the event that a third party does not fulfill its obligations under an indemnification obligation. The Company records a liability for indemnification obligations and other contingent liabilities when probable and reasonably estimable.
Legal Matters
The Company is party to various lawsuits and claims in the ordinary course of business.
Video Privacy Protection Act:
On May 16, 2023, a lawsuit titled Hunthausen v. BuzzFeed, Inc. was filed against the Company in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, asserting class action claims for alleged violation of the Video Privacy Protection Act (“VPPA”) based on the claimed transmission of personally identifying information via the Meta pixel, Google Analytics, and the TikTok pixel, all of which are purportedly connected to posts on the BuzzFeed.com website. The putative class plaintiff is seeking an injunction to stop further alleged wrongful conduct, to recover unspecified compensatory damages and an award of costs, and any further appropriate relief. The Company has moved to dismiss the case.
On August 4, 2023, the Company received 8,927 individual demands for JAMS arbitration in California, all of which allege that the Company violated the VPPA by transmitting personally identifying information via the Meta pixel,
purportedly connected to posts on the BuzzFeed website. Each claimant is seeking to recover damages in the amount of $2,500 for each alleged violation of the VPPA. No arbitration claims have yet been filed in connection with these demands.
On August 15, 2023, the Company received (1) 5,247 individual demands for JAMS arbitration in California, all of which allege that the Company violated the VPPA by transmitting personally identifying information via the use of various pixels purportedly in connection with the HuffPost.com website; and (2) 12,176 individual demands for JAMS arbitration in California, all of which allege that the Company violated the VPPA by transmitting personal identifying information via the use of various pixels purportedly in connection with the BuzzFeed.com website. Each claimant is seeking to recover damages in the amount of $2,500 for each alleged violation of the VPPA, as well as punitive damages, attorneys’ fees and costs, and equitable relief. No arbitration claims have yet been filed in connection with these demands.
Mass Arbitrations:
Two mass arbitrations (the “Arbitrations”) were initiated before the American Arbitration Association on March 15, 2022 against the Company and certain of its executive officers and directors (together, the “BuzzFeed Defendants”) and Continental Stock Transfer Corporation by 91 individuals previously employed by Legacy BuzzFeed (the “Claimants”). The Claimants alleged that they were harmed when they were allegedly unable to convert their shares of Class B common stock to Class A common stock and sell those shares on December 6, 2021, the first day of trading following the Business Combination, and asserted claims for negligence, misrepresentation, breach of fiduciary duty, and violation of Section 11 of the Securities Act. The Claimants sought to recover unspecified compensatory damages, an award of costs, and any further appropriate relief.
On April 21, 2022, the BuzzFeed Defendants filed a complaint in the Delaware Court of Chancery seeking to enjoin the Arbitrations on the grounds that, inter alia, the Claimants’ purported causes of action arise from their rights as shareholders of the Company, are governed by the Company’s charter, including its forum selection provision, and are therefore not arbitrable (the “Delaware Action”). The complaint sought declaratory and injunctive relief. A hearing on the merits of the Delaware Action was held on July 26, 2022. On October 28, 2022, the Court of Chancery granted the Company’s motion to permanently enjoin the Claimants’ arbitration claims.
On January 17, 2023, the Claimants filed amended statements of claim in the Arbitrations against BuzzFeed Media Enterprises, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, and Continental Stock Transfer & Trust Corporation, the transfer agent for 890 and later the Company. The amended statements of claim likewise allege that the Claimants were harmed when they were allegedly unable to convert their shares of Class B common stock to Class A common stock and sell those shares on the first day of trading following the Business Combination. The Claimants allege claims for breach of contract and the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, misrepresentation, and negligence, and seek to recover unspecified compensatory damages, an award of costs, and any further appropriate relief.
On March 29, 2023, BuzzFeed Media Enterprises, Inc., filed a complaint in the Delaware Court of Chancery seeking to enjoin the Arbitrations on the grounds that, inter alia, the Claimants’ purported causes of action arise from their rights as shareholders of the Company, are governed by the Company’s charter, including its forum selection provision, and are therefore not arbitrable. The complaint seeks declaratory and injunctive relief. The parties have cross-moved for summary judgment and a hearing on those motions is pending.
Although the outcome of such matters cannot be predicted with certainty and the impact that the final resolution of such matters will ultimately have on the Company’s condensed consolidated financial statements is not known, the Company does not believe that the resolution of these matters will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s future results of operations or cash flows.
The Company settled or resolved certain legal matters during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2023 and 2022 that did not individually or in the aggregate have a material impact on the Company’s business or its condensed consolidated balance sheets, results of operations or cash flows.
Nasdaq Listing Compliance
On May 31, 2023, the Company received a letter (the “Notice”) from the Listing Qualifications Department (the “Staff”) of The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (“Nasdaq”) notifying the Company that, for the previous 30 consecutive business days, the bid price for the Company’s common stock had closed below the minimum $1.00 per share requirement for continued listing on the Nasdaq Global Market under Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) (the “Bid Price Requirement”).
The Notice has no effect at this time on the Company’s common stock or warrants, which continue to trade on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbols “BZFD” and “BZFDW,” respectively.
In accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), the Company has been provided an initial period of 180 calendar days, or until November 27, 2023 (the “Compliance Date”), to regain compliance with the Bid Price Requirement. If, at any time before the Compliance Date, the bid price for the Company’s common stock closes at $1.00 or more for at least 10 consecutive business days, unless the Staff exercises its discretion to extend this 10-day period pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(H), the Staff will provide written notification to the Company that it has regained compliance with the Bid Price Requirement.
If the Company is not in compliance with the Bid Price Requirement by the Compliance Date, the Company may qualify for a second 180-calendar day compliance period. To qualify, the Company would be required, among other things, to transfer from the Nasdaq Global Market to the Nasdaq Capital Market, to meet the continued listing requirement for the market value of publicly held shares, as well as the standards for initial listing on the Nasdaq Capital Market with the exception of the Bid Price Requirement, and would need to provide written notice of its intention to cure the bid price deficiency during the second compliance period. If the Company does not qualify for, or fails to regain compliance during, a second compliance period, then the Staff will provide written notification to the Company that its common stock will be subject to delisting. At that time, the Company may appeal the Staff’s delisting determination to the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panel. However, there can be no assurance that, if the Company receives a delisting notice and appeals the delisting determination, such an appeal would be successful.
The Company intends to monitor the closing bid price of its common stock and may, if appropriate, consider available options to regain compliance with the Bid Price Requirement. To the extent such Bid Price Requirement is not regained by November 27, 2023, the Company plans to seek a 180-calendar day extension of time in conjunction with the submission of an application to transfer to The Nasdaq Capital Market.