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Beyond Goop and Evil

Gwyneth’s eternally unprofitable startup is facing yet another crisis, with a flailing beauty brand, a third round of layoffs, and a founder who’s realizing the limits of building a brand around her own personality. Will Goop ever locate an exit?

Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth is a proto influencer. She’s very self-aware in some ways—she’s often in on the joke and has that mix of celebrity, taste, and that cult of personality that startup people have. Photo: Darren Gerrish/WireImage
Rachel Strugatz
&
Lauren Sherman
November 6, 2024

Just about every celebrity brand that’s glimmered into existence in the last decade has tried to model itself after Goop, the Gwyneth Paltrow lifestyle venture that launched as a newsletter, in 2008, but has since expanded into beauty, apparel, fine jewelry, cookware, and sex toys, not to mention wellness summits, television, and a food delivery service, among other things. Lately, the company has entered a weird adolescent phase—no longer a startup, but not yet a profitable business, wielding outsize influence relative to its financial health.