The New York Times posts blockchain job but takes it down later

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The New York Times (NYT) posted a blockchain job but removed the listing just hours later. The media giant posted the job yesterday, describing it as a ‘lead in blockchain exploration.’ However, just hours later, the post has been labeled as unavailable.

The company had initially posted the job on Glassdoor, one of the biggest job listing sites in the world. It had also cross-published the listing on its website. It has since taken down the post from its website. On Indeed, yet another job listing site, the job is labeled as unavailable.

The NYT is one of the largest media houses in the world. Its newspaper has won 125 Pulitzer Prize awards, the highest of any newspaper. It also boasts of the second-highest weekly circulation in the U.S at 2.1 million, only behind USA Today.

In the post, NYT stated that it was seeking “a forward-looking leader who will help envision and design a blockchain-based proof of concept for news publishers.” The blockchain lead would be working in the company’s research and development division. 

The selected applicant would be required to codify the vision of the project. He/she would also be responsible for the project’s branding and its public presence. The lead explorer would also be tasked with further recruitment for the project as well as selecting partners from academia and other news organizations.

To qualify for the role, applicants had to have at least eight years of experience in engineering, design and journalism. They also had to have a deep understanding of the NYT and the evolving role it takes on in the media space.

The reason behind taking down the post is still unclear. NYT has yet to make a statement or respond to media houses that have sought clarification. However, it’s possible that the recruitment process was short-lived and that the company has already selected its new lead blockchain explorer.

In October last year, yet another media giant announced a blockchain initiative. Forbes announced that it had partnered with Civil, a blockchain-based journalism platform to publish content on the blockchain. In doing so, it became the first major media brand to join the Civil platform. Other members include Sludge, Colorado Sun and Block Club Chicago.