I've been speculating this since the Reddit days:
I think Gavin bankrolls Compound Media.
It's the only logical explanation for why:
- Gavin was SO IRRITATED when Cumia tried to get Opie to invest in the network. The day that Opie stopped by, Gavin looked like he wanted to knock his teeth out.
- The network can't possibly be profitable, and hasn't been for ages, if ever
If anyone wonders why Gavin would pour money into a failing network for years, it's pretty easy to see why. Dude loves his booze and drugs, and he's openly admitted to getting in hot water with his wife for doing them around his kids. Remember when he drove his car off the road?
Also, the dude is filthy rich. Vice was worth something like a billion dollars at one point. As one of the founders, the only way they can fire him is if they buy out his ownership stake.
I've worked at a bunch of startups and seen this happen a million times. The founders begin to hate each other, and then one of the founders just stops showing up to work, and then all of the stakeholders squabble over how much they'll have to pay one of the founders to go away. Sometimes it takes a year for them to reach an agreement. The deals are often kept secret, in order to avoid spooking new investors (like Disney.) So everyone is sworn to secrecy by an NDA, but word gets around the office...