GMX

Logo of GMX

GMX is a web portal that became popular in Germany at the end of the 1990s thanks to its e-mail service. Shortly after its launch in 1997, 1&1 Beteiligungen GmbH & Co. KG, which later became United Internet AG, acquired 50% of GMX. From 2001, editorial content appeared on the portal and at the end of the year United Internet took over the company completely. Over the years, GMX introduced further digital services and expanded into Austria and Switzerland. Within the Group, GMX (alongside Web.de and Mail.com) is bundled under the "Consumer Applications" segment. Together, the three services have almost 43 million users (2023), around 40 million of whom use the free email service. This is also the reason for the reach of the portal's editorial content. Users come to the site primarily to log into their email accounts, but also come into contact with the news articles. The editorial team currently consists of around 50 employees who create content for Web.de and GMX.

Key Facts

Audience Share0.03%
Ownership TypePrivate
Geographic CoverageTransnational
Content TypeFree
Active Transparency
company/channel informs proactively and comprehensively about its ownership, data is constantly updated and easily verifiable

Ownership

Ownership StructureGMX belongs to 1&1 Mail & Media GmbH, which is a subsidiary of 1&1 Mail & Media Applications SE and belongs to the parent company United Internet AG. The main owner of United Internet AG is founder Ralph Dommermuth. He and his son Philipp hold 49% of the shares. Another notable shareholder is Bank of America, which holds almost 5% of the shares.
Voting RightsEach share grants one vote. Resolutions are passed at the Annual General Meeting with a simple majority. Ralph Dommermuth has the personal right to appoint two Supervisory Board members.
Individual Owner
Group / Individual Owner
  • Bank of America

    Bank of America is one of the largest financial institutions in the United States and worldwide. It manages over USD 2.4 trillion in deposits and is considered one of the 30 systemically important banks worldwide. The bank offers a wide range of financial products and services for private customers, small and medium-sized enterprises and large corporations. These include banking services, investment solutions and digital banking offerings, among other things.
    5
  • Philipp Dommermuth

    Philipp Dommermuth is the son of Ralph Dommermuth. He is the founder and owner of hi Immobilien GmbH, which offers property management services. He is also an investor in the construction of an outlet centre in Remscheid Lennep. His shares in United Internet AG are managed together with his father's shares by Ralph Dommermuth GmbH & Co. KG Beteiligungsgesellschaft.
    24

Media Companies / Groups

Facts

Founding Year1997
Founder
  • Karsten Schramm, Peter Köhnkow, Eric Dolatre and Raoul Haagen
    The founders withdrew from the public eye for several years following the sale of GMX in 2001. In 2015, Schramm, Köhnkow and Dolatre came together again to found a new company: Brabbler. The aim was to establish a German alternative to WhatsApp. The company had to file for insolvency in 2019. Dolatre wrote a non-fiction book about digital business models and surveillance in 2021. Schramm is Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Agnitas, a provider of marketing automation, and Managing Director of Ginlo, a provider of secure communication solutions for companies.
CEO
  • Michael Hagenau
    has been Managing Director of 1&1 Mail & Media Applications SE, a subsidiary of United Internet responsible for the Portals division, since November 2023. Previously, Hagenau was CEO of the online delivery service Delivery Hero and, following the takeover by Takeaway.com, Managing Director for the integration of the German brands into the Dutch group.
Editor-In-Chief
  • Thomas Rebbe
    has been editor-in-chief for the editorial content of Web.de, GMX and 1&1 since 2010. He previously worked as team leader and head of service for the portals and worked for two years in the editorial department of Kabel1.de. Rebbe is also an honorary board member of the United Internet for UNICEF Foundation. The foundation was established in 2006 by Ralph Dommermuth (CEO of United Internet) and Tessa Page (Chairwoman of the Foundation) and supports UNICEF in fundraising with the reach of the portals.
Other Important People
  • Alexander Charles
    has been Chief Product Management Officer of 1&1 Mail and Media Applications SE since 2019 and Managing Director of 1&1 Mail & Media GmbH, which acts as the company with editorial responsibility for Web.de and GMX.
  • Dana Kraft
    responsible for Finance and Human Resources on the Management Board of 1&1 Mail and Media Applications SE and is also Managing Director of 1&1 Mail & Media GmbH, which acts as the company with editorial responsibility for Web.de and GMX.
  • Thomas Ludwig
    responsible for Technology & Development on the Management Board of 1&1 Mail and Media Applications SE and is also Managing Director of 1&1 Mail & Media GmbH, which acts as the company responsible for the editorial content of Web.de and GMX.
Contact1&1 Mail & Media GmbH
Brauerstr. 48
76135 Karlsruhe
Germany
impressum@info.gmx.net
https://www.gmx.net
Revenue€ 209 Million / USD 219 Million (2022)
Operating Profit€ 81 Million / USD 85 Million (2022)
Advertising (in % of total funding)Missing Data
Market ShareMissing Data
Headlines
Meta DataThe average exchange rate for 2022 of EUR 0.95 was used for the conversion into USD.
The information on sales and profits relates to 1&1 Mail & Media GmbH. Its business model consists primarily of digital services such as e-mail and cloud storage. The data is not available for a precise breakdown of revenue from journalistic activities.
Sources
Documents (PDF)
  • United Internet AG - Konzernabschluss 2023
    File
  • United Internet AG - Satzung
    File
  • United Internet Media GmbH - Liste der Gesellschafter
    File