It ticks several boxes of the hype of the moment: connected, eco-friendly, committed. What a funny personality Ulrich Rozier has, a jack-of-all-trades in new technologies, self-taught in the media world and politically committed to the defense of animal life. The boss of the Humanoid press group, which brings together Numerama, Madmoizelle, FrAndroid and a content creation agency, Humanoid xp, ran – unsuccessfully – in June in the legislative elections under the banner of the Animalist Party, in the 9th district. of Loire-Atlantique. A big gap between two worlds that everything seems to oppose.
And yet, Ulrich Rozier passes easily from one to the other. He explains the changes brought about by the takeover, three months ago, of the press company by the Ebra group, backed by the behemoth Crédit Mutuel, and sheds light on his convictions. in favor of the animal cause. His company, created in 2012 with Baptiste Michaud, now has 75 people and is inseparable from his background and his convictions. When asked about his personal commitment to his professional obligations, the boss of Humanoid responds with transparency, responsibility, ethics and passion. Selected pieces.
What is your background ?
The story of our press group began at the end of 2007, during my graduate studies, almost a year after the release of the first iPhone. Google had prepared its answer: Android. It was much more than just a product, it was a real ecosystem. In addition to being a Web enthusiast, I was also a fan of new technologies. The very evening of the announcement, I opened a blog called Android France and three weeks later, I met two developers who had done the same thing. We were complementary and had the same vision. Together we created FrAndroid, a site for enthusiasts.
Until 2012, FrAndroid was a side project, which occupied our evenings and weekends, keeping pace with the development of Android, an operating system that very quickly became the most widely used OS in the world, even ahead of Windows. Then, my partner, an expatriate in Japan at Orange, returned in 2011 because of Fukushima, and we finally decided to throw ourselves 100% into the project: Humanoid was born.
“We didn’t want to be a media publisher that uses technology, but rather a technology company that makes media”
It really took ten years to bring together each brick of the development of a medium: SEO, writing, technical. Our initial vision, which we have not deviated from, was very similar to that of the engineers: technology is an opportunity and not a constraint. It should be used to achieve a free media model on the web, which is profitable.
We were lucky because in 2012, when we threw ourselves fully into the adventure, we already had an audience and a cash flow. We adopted a very traditional financial approach: rather than relying on the start-up model, we always only spent what we earned. And reinvested in the development of the company without ever paying dividends. We were thus able to buy Numerama in 2015 on our own funds, and Madmoizelle in 2020, with a financial arrangement on debt but only for the operation to cost less.
Humanoid celebrates its 10th anniversary, the year in which the group is acquired by the Ebra group. What changes does this imply?
On a daily basis, not much: we keep our autonomy, I keep the presidency of the Humanoid group. We also keep our premises. The project was thought through at length and we chose Ebra for two reasons: it is a group that publishes newspapers for more than 80% of its activity, it is in the same sector but in a different business, and he leaves us a lot of freedom. As we are complementary, we can support them in their digital transition and if tomorrow, we want to publish a Numerama or Madmoizelle paper magazine, they have the printing presses, the distribution channels, the know-how.
For me, who am not a born entrepreneur, this takeover allows me to feel less alone to assume all the heavy responsibilities that fall to a boss. I never imagined spending all my professional life in entrepreneurship because it eats up a lot of time. I don’t want to lose years of life and miss the opportunity to have a retirement! It’s a way to find a balance in life, which I couldn’t afford before.
And so you join the Animalist Party?
Defending the animal cause has always been very important, but I felt like a spectator. Other than sharing a few L214 articles on Twitter, quitting eating meat, I didn’t really have an impact. But it was bubbling inside me. We develop a real inner rage, it’s the same for violence against children or women, or for the defense of ecology. For me, animals reason a little louder, it’s very personal.
For about a year, I had been donating to the Animalist Party and wanted to do more. But I had to find time. Initially, politics did not interest me, like most candidates in my party. It lacked male candidates, women being generally more sensitive to the animal cause, and in fact lost subsidies granted for parity. So I decided to embark on an animalist approach before being a political approach.
How do you link technologies and commitment to animals today?
As in the majority of parties today, communication goes through the Web. So I was able to bring my experience on the strategies according to the platforms, how to create content, how to bounce back. There is another aspect that interested me: I have been a journalist for years, so I have multiplied interviews and public relations and I was curious to see the other side of the mirror, how I could conduct interviews as a candidate , how the Animalist Party could position itself in relation to the media. He had to set up his communication strategy, express himself at the right time, on the right subjects.
It was a one-shot, the animalist party?
No, I like the commitment to this movement, with caring people from all walks of life, from all professions. This diversity pleases me and changes the worlds of journalists and technophiles in which I usually evolve, where everyone understands each other, speaks the same language but does not leave too much room for different ideas. At the Animalist Party, everyone fights for a common cause and objective without necessarily speaking the same language. And yet, what was put in place in a few weeks in terms of communication, information, training, amazed me. I thought I was bringing my experience more than learning new things, and in the end the balance is much better distributed. So I’m going to extend my engagement.
What are Ulrich Rozier’s plans for tomorrow and the day after?
I want to continue on the path of total transparency with my teams: my commitment to the Animalist Party will not encroach on my work as head of Humanoid. I already know that certain communication tools used by the Animalist Party and internal training could be inspiring for a group of 75 people who are getting structured, and vice versa. It’s still a little early for me to establish a clear bridge, but I think it’s something to think about.
The editorial ecological commitment of my newsrooms is also an axis that I want to maintain. Announcing that you have to watch Netflix less is not a solution. And we media, must do pedagogy around these ideas. For example, on FrAndroid, we debunked an idea launched by a politician: unplugging your Internet box when you are not using it does not save the consumption of a fridge, it saves money but they are not of that order. And there are other far more effective practices.
Finally, there is no major change with the avant-Ebra. I am engaged for several years in the development of Humanoid, I work on future acquisitions, mainly in the media, but it could also be in related technologies, in video or e-commerce. The group will grow. I now have the financial luxury of being able to choose my commitments, whether in animal, ecological or women’s causes. I will go towards that, I do not know yet in what form. But yes, I would like to strengthen my impact on these causes.