Launched in January 2003, Gawker was one of the internet's most popular and well-read websites, with web-analytics claiming that the site was hitting over 23 million visits per month.

Just a few days after Univision successfully bid $135 million for Gawker Media’s six other websites, the website announced that it will be shutting down, citing a specific relation to Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel, who Gawker claims has spent millions of dollars backing third-party claims against the website.

These claims include the recent Hulk Hogan litigation, in which the former-wrestler successfully sued the website for $140 million in damages by a Florida jury in an invasion of privacy case over its publication of a sex tape.

In a statement released on the website, the people at Gawker say: "Nick Denton, the company’s outgoing CEO, informed current staffers of the site’s fate on Thursday afternoon, just hours before a bankruptcy court in Manhattan will decide whether to approve Univision’s bid for Gawker Media’s other assets.

"The near-term plans for Gawker.com’s coverage, as well as the site’s archives, have not yet been finalized."