The New Yorker

Founded in 1925 by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, The New Yorker has been the magazine that makes highbrows feel superior and lowbrows wonder what they're missing. With its iconic cartoons and long-form journalism, it's known for being the intellectual playground for the New York elite, though it occasionally gives off the scent of insufferable pretentiousness. The magazine's defining moment was probably when it first published the work of humorist S.J. Perelman and later became the unlikely home for up-and-comers like Truman Capote and Hunter S. Thompson. Today, it enjoys a hefty valuation of around $700 million, bolstered by its Pulitzer Prizes and other accolades that remind everyone it's the arbiter of cultural sophistication. But for every rave review, there's a scandal—like the time it fired its longtime editor Tina Brown, who had made The New Yorker a household name among people who don’t need to ask what a “garnish” is. With executives like David Remnick steering the ship, The New Yorker remains the magazine that occasionally whispers "I’m better than you" from the top of its ivory tower, just loud enough for everyone to hear.