Popular Science stopped selling its magazine in 2023, ending a run that began with its first issue in 1872. The discontinued product was the digital magazine—not the Popular Science website or the brand. Print copies had already ended after 2020.
What happened to Popular Science magazine?
On November 27, 2023, The Verge reported that Popular Science would no longer sell its magazine. By then, it was a digital product: the publication had stopped physical copies after 2020 and released its first all-digital issue in 2021.
The distinction matters: the magazine ended, but Popular Science did not shut down as a website or brand. Recurrent Ventures, its owner at the time, said web articles and PopSci Plus—including exclusive content and magazine archive access—would continue. That was the company’s position in 2023; the reporting does not establish whether those services remain available now.
How the magazine changed before it ended
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1872 | Popular Science published its first issue, according to The Verge. |
| 2018 | The magazine moved to a quarterly schedule, The Verge reported. |
| After 2020 | Physical copies ended, according to The Verge. |
| 2021 | The first all-digital issue appeared, The Verge reported. |
| November 27, 2023 | The Verge reported that the magazine would no longer be available for purchase. |
The “151 years” refers to the span from the first issue in 1872 to the 2023 announcement. It does not mean print continued until 2023: physical copies had ended earlier, while the digital magazine continued for a time.
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Why did Popular Science stop publishing a magazine?
Recurrent Ventures described the decision as a strategic shift beyond the digital magazine format. Cathy Hebert, the company’s communications director, told The Verge: “We believe that the content strategy has to evolve beyond the digital magazine product. A combination of its news team, along with commerce, video, and other initiatives, will produce content that naturally aligns with PopSci’s mission.”
That is the owner’s stated rationale. The contemporary reporting does not establish a more detailed financial cause, so it would be misleading to assign one.
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How people responded—and what continued
Former Popular Science editor Purbita Saha criticized the decision. As quoted in Nieman Journalism Lab’s November 28, 2023 reading note, she said she was “frustrated, incensed, and appalled that the owners shut down a pioneering publication that’s adapted to 151 years worth of changes in the space of a five-minute Zoom call.” That was Saha’s reaction, rather than a neutral account of the decision.
Hackaday’s November 30, 2023 report likewise said the brand and website would remain and noted that two podcasts were expected to continue. Those details describe what was reported at the time; they do not verify the current status of individual services.
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