In 2015, an anonymous writer sent a letter to the advice columnist of the Awl, a now-defunct blog founded by two former editors of Gawker. The letter was published under the headline “I Hate Myself Because I Don’t Work For BuzzFeed.” “BuzzFeed is the most successful media company of our time. BuzzFeed is the future of the media business,” wrote the anguished advice-seeker. “How can you feel good about yourself if you don’t work for such a massive, popular, successful company?”