The Toronto-based company will boost its 215-person workforce by almost 50 per cent, with hiring focused on engineering, marketing and content positions. Of the company’s existing full-time employees, 16 are in Halifax and 30 are abroad. Wattpad said most of the hiring spree will be for its Canadian offices, with 11 roles already posted. (The Logic)

Talking point: Wattpad’s growth comes under the new ownership of Korean tech conglomerate Naver, which closed its US$600-million acquisition of the social storytelling app on Monday. Allen Lau, Wattpad’s CEO and co-founder, has promised the newly acquired company will treat its Canadian team as “essential.” Its hiring push will focus on developing ways to reward writers. Wattpad has been a platform for paid stories since 2019, and adapts some stories into published books, movies, TV shows and podcasts. It also touted sponsored brand partnerships as cash-making ventures for “a new type of online writing influencer.”