×U.S. EditionPart of HuffPost Media. ©2022 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved.×AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“When I think about things that grow that wildly and that successfully, I don’t think of a media company ― I think of cancer.”- Esther Bergdahl, former Mic employeeAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement, — more than Vice, BuzzFeed or Upworthy. AdvertisementAdvertisementAbsent a business model that would prove Mic a worthy gamble, the company focused on growth early on. “We had to show audience growth,” said a separate former executive at the company. “As a company that was...…×U.S. EditionPart of HuffPost Media. ©2022 BuzzFeed, Inc. All rights reserved.×AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“When I think about things that grow that wildly and that successfully, I don’t think of a media company ― I think of cancer.”- Esther Bergdahl, former Mic employeeAdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement, — more than Vice, BuzzFeed or Upworthy. AdvertisementAdvertisementAbsent a business model that would prove Mic a worthy gamble, the company focused on growth early on. “We had to show audience growth,” said a separate former executive at the company. “As a company that was...WW…