History of Politico in Timeline

Politico is an American political media company founded in 2007 by Robert Allbritton. It delivers news, analysis, and opinion on politics and policy, focusing on the U.S. and international affairs. Politico's coverage spans the federal government, lobbying, and the media landscape. It distributes content through its website, printed newspapers, radio broadcasts, and podcasts. It has expanded its coverage to include publications dedicated to politics in the U.S., European Union, United Kingdom, and Canada.

January 23, 2007: Politico Website Launched

On January 23, 2007, Politico's website was launched by John F. Harris and Jim VandeHei, who left The Washington Post to lead the new venture, with financial backing from Robert L. Allbritton. Mike Allen was their first hire, and Frederick J. Ryan Jr. served as its first president and chief executive officer.

June 25, 2007: Politico Playbook Launched

On June 25, 2007, Mike Allen launched Politico Playbook, a daily early-morning email newsletter that attained a large readership amongst members of the D.C. community.

2007: Politico Founded

In 2007, Politico, an American political digital newspaper company, was founded by Robert Allbritton. The company focuses on politics and policy in the United States and internationally.

September 2008: Politico Announces Expansion Plans

In September 2008, The New York Times reported Politico would expand its operations following the 2008 U.S. presidential election, including adding reporters, editors, Web engineers, expanding its newspaper circulation, and printing more frequently.

2009: Print Newspaper Circulation

In 2009, Politico's print newspaper had a circulation of approximately 32,000, distributed free in Washington, D.C., and Manhattan.

2009: Politico Shortens Name

In 2009, the web pages shortened their name from The Politico to more simply Politico.

2010: Politico Pro Launched

In 2010, Politico Pro, a paid subscription news service covering about a dozen topics, was launched. Subscription costs are determined by licenses and topic area.

2011: Politico Focuses on Long-Form Journalism and News Analysis

In 2011, Politico began to focus more on long-form journalism and news analysis, signaling a shift in its editorial strategy.

2012: Politico Staff Triples in Size

Between 2008 and 2012, Politico's staff more than tripled in size, including the addition of political commentators Michael Kinsley and Joe Scarborough as opinion writers.

2012: Pulitzer Prize for Matt Wuerker

In 2012, Politico won a Pulitzer Prize for Matt Wuerker's editorial cartoons.

June 2013: Susan Glasser Hired to Oversee Opinion and Long-Form Journalism

In June 2013, Politico hired Susan Glasser to oversee opinion pieces from outside voices and long-form storytelling, signaling a shift towards more in-depth journalism.

September 2013: Politico Acquires Capital New York

In September 2013, Politico acquired the online news site Capital New York, which also operated separate departments covering Florida and New Jersey.

October 2013: Jim VandeHei Named CEO of Politico

In October 2013, Jim VandeHei was named Politico's new CEO and under his leadership, Politico continued to grow; in 2014 alone, it expanded revenues by 25%.

November 2013: Politico Magazine Launched

In November 2013, Politico launched Politico Magazine, published online and bimonthly in print, focusing on high-impact, magazine-style reporting. Susan Glasser was the first editor.

June 2014: Daniel Lippman Joins Politico to Assist with Playbook

In June 2014, Daniel Lippman joined Politico, in large part to assist Mike Allen with Playbook.

September 2014: Politico Forms Joint Venture to Launch European Edition

In September 2014, Politico formed a joint venture with German publisher Axel Springer SE to launch its European edition, based in Brussels.

September 2014: Susan Glasser Appointed as Politico's New Editor

In September 2014, Susan Glasser was appointed as Politico's new editor, following the resignation of Richard Berke the previous month.

December 2014: Joint Venture Acquires Development Institute International and European Voice

In December 2014, the joint venture between Politico and Axel Springer SE announced its acquisition of Development Institute International, a French events content provider, and European Voice, a European political newspaper, to be re-launched under the Politico brand.

2014: George Polk Award for Rania Abouzeid

In 2014, Politico won a George Polk Award for Rania Abouzeid's investigation of the rise of the Islamic State.

April 2015: Politico Announces Rebrand of State Feeds

In April 2015, Politico announced its intention to rebrand the state feeds (Politico Florida, Politico New Jersey, and Politico New York) with the Politico name to expand its coverage of state politics.

April 23, 2015: Politico Europe Debuts in Print

Politico Europe debuted in print on April 23, 2015, marking the launch of Politico's European edition.

2015: Politico Pro Subscription Renewal Rate

As of 2015, Politico Pro had a 93% subscription renewal rate and provided about half of Politico's overall revenue.

2015: Politico.eu Formally Launched in Brussels

In 2015, Politico.eu, Politico's Brussels-based European operation, was formally launched.

2015: Politico Reporting Leads to Resignation of Representative Aaron Schock

In 2015, a series of stories by Sherman and Palmer in Politico "helped break open the scandal that forced the resignation of Representative Aaron Schock of Illinois".

July 2016: Palmer and Sherman Assume Playbook-Writing Duties

In July 2016, Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman joined Daniel Lippman to assume Playbook-writing duties upon Mike Allen's departure to start Axios.

2016: Politico Reaches Nearly 500 Employees Worldwide

By 2016, Politico had nearly 500 employees worldwide, marking significant growth since its founding.

2016: Politico Playbook Attains Wide Readership

By 2016, over 100,000 people read Playbook daily, influencing the national political news cycle.

2016: Cambridge Analytica Targeted Voters on Politico

During the 2016 United States presidential election, Cambridge Analytica targeted pro-Trump and anti-Hillary Clinton voters with native advertising and sponsored content on Politico.

2016: Blake Hounshell Named Editor of Politico Magazine

In 2016, Blake Hounshell was named editor of Politico Magazine, succeeding Garrett Graff after Glasser was promoted to become Politico's editor.

2016: VandeHei and Allen Announce Departure from Politico

In 2016, Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen announced their departure from Politico after the 2016 presidential election. Robert Allbritton was named acting CEO in VandeHei's stead. The relationship between VandeHei and Allbritton deteriorated during a series of events.

2016: Reporting on Clinton Campaign Leaks

In 2016, Politico extensively reported on the leaked email communications of Hillary Clinton's campaign manager, John Podesta.

2016: Politico.eu Staffing and Readership

In early 2016, Politico.eu had about 50 editorial employees and two dozen business employees. A third-party survey ranked Politico.eu as most widely read news organization among 249 Brussels 'influencers'.

March 2017: Politico Announces "Playbook Power Briefing"

In March 2017, Politico announced the creation of a second, mid-day edition of Playbook—entitled "Playbook Power Briefing"—written by the same people who authored the morning edition.

September 2017: Politico Investigation Leads to Tom Price's Resignation

In September 2017, reporters Rachana Pradhan and Dan Diamond authored an investigation of how President Donald Trump's health secretary, Tom Price, was flying on charter jets paid for by taxpayers. Price resigned after the stories.

2017: Politico's Website Traffic

As of 2017, Politico claimed to average 26 million unique visitors a month to its American website and more than 1.5 million unique visitors to its European site.

2017: Patrick Steel Appointed CEO of Politico

In 2017, Patrick Steel served as CEO, a role he held until early 2021.

2017: Playbook Sponsorship Costs

In 2017, a weekly sponsorship of Playbook cost between $50,000 and $60,000.

2017: Marianne Levine's Reporting Leads to Withdrawal of Andy Puzder's Nomination

In 2017, reporter Marianne Levine "helped bring down Trump's Labor Secretary pick," Andy Puzder, after breaking the story that Puzder's ex-wife had accused him of spousal abuse.

September 2018: Politico Announces Politico California Pro Launch

In September 2018, Politico announced it would launch Politico California Pro.

September 2019: Stephen Brown Named Editor-in-Chief of Politico Europe

In September 2019, Stephen Brown was named editor-in-chief of Politico Europe.

2019: George Polk Award for Helena Bottemiller Evich

In 2019, Politico won a George Polk Award for Helena Bottemiller Evich's investigation of the Trump administration's efforts to bury its climate change plans.

2019: Stephen Heuser Named Editor of Politico Magazine

In 2019, Stephen Heuser was named editor of Politico Magazine, succeeding Blake Hounshell.

February 2020: Politico Launches Protocol

In February 2020, Robert Allbritton launched Protocol, a tech news website focused on technology, business, and public policy.

December 2020: Politico Acquires E&E News

In December 2020, Politico acquired E&E News to expand its coverage of the energy and environmental sectors. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

2020: George Polk Award for Dan Diamond

In 2020, Politico won a George Polk Award for Dan Diamond's investigation of political interference in the U.S. federal government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

January 14, 2021: Ben Shapiro Featured in Politico's Playbook

On January 14, 2021, Ben Shapiro was featured as a guest writer for Politico's Playbook newsletter, defending Republicans. This drew backlash from Politico staffers, but the editor defended the decision.

March 18, 2021: Stephen Brown, Editor-in-Chief of Politico Europe, Dies

On March 18, 2021, Stephen Brown, the editor-in-chief of Politico Europe, died suddenly of a heart attack.

July 2021: Jamil Anderlini Named Editor-in-Chief of Politico Europe

In July 2021, Jamil Anderlini, previously Asia Editor of the Financial Times, was named Editor-in-Chief of Politico Europe.

October 2021: Axel Springer SE Completes Acquisition of Politico

In October 2021, Axel Springer SE announced the completion of its acquisition of Politico for over $1 billion. New owners stated they would add staff and implement a paywall.

2021: New Team of Playbook Authors Announced

After Palmer and Sherman left to found Punchbowl News, Politico announced a new team of Playbook authors in 2021, including Rachael Bade, Ryan Lizza, Tara Palmeri and Eugene Daniels.

2021: Politico Acquired by Axel Springer SE

In 2021, Politico was acquired by Axel Springer SE for over $1 billion. The new owners outlined principles for Politico employees, including support for Israel, a united Europe, and a free-market economy.

2021: Patrick Steel Departs Politico

In early 2021, Patrick Steel departed the company after four years as CEO.

January 2022: Goli Sheikholeslami Appointed CEO of Politico

In January 2022, Goli Sheikholeslami, former CEO of WNYC public radio, was announced as CEO by new owner Axel Springer, tasked with leading operations of both Politico and Politico Europe.

January 2022: Politico Playbook Erroneous Report

In January 2022, Politico Playbook incorrectly reported that Justice Sonia Sotomayor had dinner with leading Democrats, mistaking Chuck Schumer's wife for Sotomayor. Politico had not verified the report.

February 2022: Politico Report Leads to Eric Lander's Resignation

In February 2022, Politico reporter Alex Thompson broke the report of how Eric Lander, President Joe Biden's science adviser, had been "demeaning" colleagues in the office. Lander resigned after the story.

March 2022: Dafna Linzer Named Executive Editor of Politico

In March 2022, Dafna Linzer, formerly of MSNBC and NBC News, was named as the new executive editor.

May 2, 2022: Politico Obtains and Releases Draft Supreme Court Document on Roe v. Wade

On May 2, 2022, Politico obtained and released a 98-page draft document indicating that the Supreme Court was poised to strike down Roe v. Wade. The story became the most-trafficked in the publisher's history.

September 2022: Politico Publishes Exposé on COVID-19 Pandemic Response

In September 2022, Politico published an exposé critical of NGO leadership at the helm of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic response, written in cooperation with the German newspaper Die Welt.

2022: George Polk Award for Supreme Court Draft

In 2022, Politico won a George Polk Award for Josh Gerstein, Alex Ward, Peter Canellos, and the staff of Politico for revealing a draft of the Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade.

2022: Protocol Shut Down

In 2022, Protocol, the tech news website launched by Robert Allbritton, was shut down after struggling to meet revenue goals.

2022: Elizabeth Ralph Named Editor of POLITICO Magazine

In September 2022, Elizabeth Ralph was named editor of POLITICO Magazine, which is now solely a digital publication.

2022: Debonis Hired as Editor of Politico Playbook, Palmeri Leaves

Mike Debonis, previously of the Washington Post, was hired as editor of Politico Playbook in 2022. In April 2022, Tara Palmeri left Politico after being moved off of Playbook.

2023: Dafna Linzer Departs Politico

In 2023, Dafna Linzer departed Politico after serving a year as executive editor.

June 2024: Top Politico Reporters Depart

In June 2024, several top Politico reporters left the company.

September 2024: Politico Announces Partnership with Capital AI

In September 2024, Politico announced a partnership with Y Combinator-backed startup Capital AI to produce an AI tool to summarize its journalism for Politico Pro subscribers.

2024: U.S. Government Subscriptions

During fiscal year 2024, the U.S. federal government paid approximately $8 million for subscriptions to Politico Pro and other Politico services.

2024: Politico Publishes AI-Generated News Summaries with Errors

In 2024, Politico published AI-generated news summaries of major U.S. political events. It was reported that Politico's AI tool had fabricated quotes, misspelled names and used language that violated Politico's editorial standards. The errors were later taken down without a correction from an editor.

2024: Politico Refused to Report on Trump Campaign Leaks

In 2024, Politico received leaked confidential materials from the Donald Trump presidential campaign but refused to report on their contents, despite confirming the documents' authenticity.

2024: Anderlini and Day appointed in Politico Europe

In late 2024 it was announced that Jamil Anderlini would move into the role of Regional Director of Politico's European operation. Kate Day was appointed Senior Executive Editor of the European operation of Politico.

January 31, 2025: Politico Must Move Out of Pentagon Workspace

On January 31, 2025, a Defense Department memo announced that Politico must move out of its longtime workspace on the Correspondents' Corridor in the Pentagon, under a new Annual Media Rotation Program for the Pentagon Press Corps.

February 2025: Newsroom Leadership Changes

In February 2025, Editor-in-Chief John Harris announced the latest changes in the newsroom's leadership, including several appointments.

March 2025: Politico Unveils Policy Intelligence Assistant

In March 2025, Politico unveiled Policy Intelligence Assistant, a suite of AI tools for use by paying subscribers. Executive Rachel Loeffler described the initiative as "seamlessly integrating generative AI with our unmatched policy expertise."

May 2025: Martín Varsavsky Resigns After Accusing Politico of Bias

In May 2025, Argentine entrepreneur and Axel Springer board member Martín Varsavsky resigned after accusing Politico of left-wing bias, citing Politico’s news coverage of Israel during the Gaza war.

July 2025: Union Takes Politico to Arbitration Over AI Tools

In July 2025, a union representing journalists at Politico and E&E News took Politico's leadership to arbitration over the AI tools violating the terms of their contract.

2025: Politico Employees Win Case Against AI Use

In 2025, a group of Politico employees won a landmark case against the firm's use of AI tools, setting a precedent for the protection of journalists' rights in the face of increasing automation.