Buzzfeed and HuffPost employees took to Twitter to announce they have been laid off. Some are using the social medium to find employment while other say not all departments have gotten the news yet.

In this Sept. 2, 2015, file photo the BuzzFeed website is displayed on an iPad held by an Associated Press staffer in Los Angeles.
In this Sept. 2, 2015, file photo the BuzzFeed website is displayed on an iPad held by an Associated Press staffer in Los Angeles. (AP Archive)

Digital media company BuzzFeed has started laying off several employees after it announced it will be cutting 15 percent of its jobs, or about 200 people, to trim expenses and become profitable.

BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti wrote employees on Wednesday that the layoffs will help BuzzFeed avoid having to raise money from investors again.

Verizon Media Group also said on Wednesday that it is cutting about 800 jobs in its media division, which includes Yahoo and HuffPost.

The privately held company has not been profitable for several years. It has raised hundreds of millions from such investors as Comcast's NBCUniversal.

Based in New York, BuzzFeed is best known for its viral posts and quizzes and has a well-regarded news division.

Many of the laid-off employees took to Twitter to announce the news and seek new opportunities.

Other employees are still uncertain about their future at Buzzfeed as the lay off process has not been completed.

Many digital media companies have cut jobs or sold off in recent years as Facebook and Google gobble up the bulk of digital advertising dollars.

Source: TRTWorld and agencies