Damn it feels good to be a gangsta.
The World Surf League exciting final’s day opens its window in days with forecasting partner Surfline calling for likely head-high surf which should excite all but current number one Filipe Toledo. Rosy, rosy, rosy sun shining bright on everyone. And, so, you can imagine the absolute shock when thunderclouds rolled over the aforementioned Surfline’s Huntington Beach offices and rained pink slips on disbelieving employees.
Per initial whispers from sources who have been chopped, the advertising, content, design, and data science departments suffered heavy casualties along with the entire brand team.
The shock made all the greater seeing that just over two years ago, Surfline was juiced with $30 million from investment and advisory firm The Chernin Group.
At the time, Mike Kerns, Chernin Group co-founder and partner, declared, “Surfline has established itself as one of the largest and most respected surf brands in the world through a decades-long commitment to serving its global community. At TCG, we achieve growth by partnering with passionate teams, engaged entrepreneurs who build out of love, and world class management. With Surfline, we have that combination in Jeff, Kyle and the entire team.”
Troubling wave calls have plagued the 2022 World Surf League’s Championship Tour, reaching peak absurdity with “cartoonish” nuttiness at the most recent Outerknown Tahiti Pro, but enough for a gutting?
Equity, I suppose, works in mysterious ways.
More as the story develops.
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I hate Surfline. Any time they predict good swell, correctly or not, all the kooks and their family and friends hit the lineups.
Their data science team clearly never has used a tape measure or any other actual physical tool of measuring shit, so I’m ok with that. With the advent of German femur-ism and the pace at which it has swept the surf world, this was to be expected. Times change.
You can’t pronounce ‘prediction’ without the ‘dick’.
I’m sure Jack’s, HB Surf n Sport or Dukes is hiring. The latter is soon to be the subject of a Hollywood biopic. Always money in surf!
I think I’ve literally used Surfline maybe 5 times (kinda out of curiosity) since it started, and never paid for it.
I did like giving Nick a bad time a few times in the past though, in the comment section.
“Beachgrit has established itself as one of the largest and most respected surf brands in the world through a decades-long commitment to serving its global community. At BG,we achieve growth by partnering with passionate teams, engaged entrepreneurs who build out of love, and world class management. With Beachgrit, we have that combination in Derek , Chas and the entire team.”
Soon to be named tropical depression Kay could bring SSE swell for the event. It might also track straight into San Clemente as a post tropical low.
I can see why they’re chopping the advertising, content, and design depts.
And they definitely need a new data science team.
But surely they’re not getting rid of the models…
Mid season cut
In typical Surfline form, they forecasted firing 8-10 employees when the real numbers are probably 2-3.
That, is a good one
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
I hope they keep Nick Carroll, their only good writer. Their forecasts were always a joke anyway. Photos good.
Nick was fired three restructures ago but no one has had the heart to tell him yet
PS can recommend his aint that swell poddy review of the Top 5s for Trestles
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
in san clemente at the bar…prepping for ‘the legends”
I miss Nick down here.
He’ll be baaaacckk.
But fuck him coz he prolly signed off on the acquisition of S2S.
he posted today…OK read, if you want sharks.
LOL!
ha He is now the global editor , and had to sack all the seppos as Australia is now in the process of taking over the USA