Video shows Condé Nast employees confronting HR chief before firings

Video shows Condé Nast employees confronting HR chief before firings

Video footage shows Condé Nast employees confronting the company’s head of human sources — a part of an incident administration characterised as “extreme misconduct” resulting in 4 unionized staffers’ firings — a framing their union rejects.

The clips, filmed Wednesday outdoors HR chief Stan Duncan’s Thirty fourth-floor workplace at One World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan, present about 20 editorial staffers asking to debate layoffs tied to Teen Vogue’s merger with Vogue.com.  

Duncan declines to have interaction, repeatedly directing employees to “go back to the workplace” before retreating into an workplace, video obtained by The Wrap shows. 

Condé Nast employees confront human sources boss Stan Duncan at company places of work on Wednesday.

The most brutally awkward factor you may see today: Condé Nast staffers confront head of HR Stan Duncan over layoffs outdoors his Thirty fourth-floor workplace.Four of the employees featured in this exclusive video from the confrontation have been then fired for “extreme misconduct.” The entire… pic.twitter.com/Ze6Vmyz0iI— TheWrap (@TheWrap) November 6, 2025

Hours later, Condé Nast fired 4 union members who participated in the confrontation — Jasper Lo of the New Yorker, Jake Lahut of Wired, Alma Avalle of Bon Appétit and Ben Dewey of Condé Nast Entertainment — citing “gross misconduct and policy violations.”  

Condé Nast also filed a federal labor criticism against the NewsGuild of New York. 

One clip shows Duncan asking the employees to cease “congregating” outdoors his workplace before telling them to depart. 

“What counts as congregating?” Lahut asks. “What’s your definition of congregating?” 

“We’d appreciate if you would go back to the workplace, to your workplace assignments,” Duncan replies. 

“Is there a place that you’d be able to speak to us?” Avalle asks Duncan. “Do you think we’re not worth speaking to, Sam?” 

Ben Dewey of Condé Nast Entertainment was certainly one of 4 employees who have been terminated. Conde Nast Union

“Those are your words, not mine,” Duncan replies, saying he couldn’t converse to them on Wednesday because of “other things going on.” 

“But they might be your beliefs!” Avalle says. “They’re not my beliefs,” Duncan replies. 

The exec is then seen strolling down the hallway before pointing to another a part of the flooring, telling the group he was in a gathering and couldn’t meet with them. 

“Well, we have some quick questions,” Avalle says. “If you answered them, we’d be happy to go back to our desks.” 

Jasper Lo of the New Yorker was also fired. Global Citizen

“All right, leave,” Duncan said before strolling again towards his workplace. 

After Avalle presses him on his refusal to reply questions, Duncan insists: “I’ve directed you back to your workplace.” 

“We’re concerned about our colleagues!” an worker says off digicam. 

Another clip shows Duncan standing outdoors his workplace, asking the indignant employees to “move forward” towards the other aspect of the flooring before getting into his workplace and closing the door. 

“We’d like you to answer questions,” Avalle says. “We’d love to move forward.” 

Condé Nast prompt there’s more to the story than the clips present.

“The video footage shared by the union captures only a portion of the incident,” a company spokesperson told The Post.

“Several additional minutes are missing from their version.”

Jake Lahut of WIRED was also let go following the confrontation with Duncan. Instagram / @jakelahut

Condé Nast beforehand characterised the union members’ conduct as “aggressive, disruptive, and threatening behavior of any kind,” saying it will not be tolerated.

The media conglomerate said Thursday it must “provide a workplace where every employee feels respected and able to do their job without harassment or intimidation.”  

The company added that the firings adopted conduct that “crossed the line into targeted harassment and disruption of business operations.” 

Alma Avalle of Bon Appétit was certainly one of 4 employees fired by father or mother company Condé Nast. Getty Images

Union leaders said the video disproves Condé’s justification for the firings.  

NewsGuild of New York President Susan DeCarava told The Wrap that the footage “speaks for itself,” arguing the employees have been “clearly exercising their legally protected right to engage in concerted action” and that administration was “inaccurately spinning the events to justify firing four of our members in an attempt to intimidate our union.” 

DeCarava called Condé administration’s conduct “outrageous and false,” accusing executives of attempting to “bully them into silence.”

She said demanding solutions from administration “as a group is a common collective action workers take when necessary to hold management accountable.” 

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