Playboy Enterprises, the company once synonymous with Hollywood glitz and the legendary parties at Hugh Hefner’s mansion, is officially packing its bags and heading east. On August 14, 2025, the iconic men’s lifestyle brand announced it will move its global headquarters from Los Angeles to Miami Beach, marking a dramatic shift in both geography and strategy for a company that helped define American pop culture for decades.
CEO Ben Kohn didn’t mince words about the rationale behind the move. According to Fox News Digital, Kohn pointed directly at California’s business climate as a major factor: “We are excited to move the company to the city of Miami Beach, which has been phenomenal to deal with, very pro-business. When you look at the cost of doing business in California against the cost of doing business in Florida, and you combine that with the energy of Miami Beach, it made all the sense in the world for Playboy to move there.”
This isn’t just a change of address. Playboy’s new headquarters will occupy the penthouse of The RIVANI, a luxury office complex in Miami Beach developed by Robert Rivani, who has reportedly invested over $100 million in the project. Rivani himself is enthusiastic about the synergy, telling Fox News Digital, “Miami Beach is one of the most iconic and fastest-growing cities in the world. It’s a global hub for culture, creativity and business – exactly the kind of energy that complements Playboy’s next chapter.”
But what does this next chapter look like? For starters, the new Miami Beach headquarters will be much more than just office space. The company plans to launch a reimagined Playboy Club at the site, featuring a restaurant and a members-only space inspired by the original Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. According to a company statement cited by The Associated Press, this new club aims to blend the brand’s storied past with a modern twist, offering exclusive experiences to a new generation of fans and members.
Playboy is also betting big on digital. The Miami Beach location will house new multimedia studios designed to support the company’s expanding digital content and creator licensing business. As Kohn put it to Fox Business, “Content is key to our strategy. We plan on building a content team in Miami with moving the magazine as we’ve relaunched the magazine and the Playmate franchise, basing all of that in Miami. And then we have a massive licensing business on a global basis, and we plan on building a significant licensing team in Miami as well.”
While the company declined to specify how many employees will be impacted, the transition is expected to be completed by 2026. Playboy currently operates out of a Wilshire Boulevard office in Westwood, Los Angeles, but the new Miami Beach digs represent more than just a change in scenery. Miami Beach city officials have openly celebrated the move as a win for local economic development, even sending city commissioners to compete with other U.S. cities for months to land the deal.
There’s a sense of coming full circle here. Playboy’s history with South Florida stretches back decades. The brand opened its second-ever Playboy Club in Miami in 1961 and later ran the Playboy Plaza Hotel on Miami Beach in the 1970s. “Miami Beach is among the most dynamic and culturally influential cities in the country, making it the ideal home for Playboy’s next chapter,” Kohn said in the company’s official statement on August 15, 2025.
The move also mirrors a broader trend of high-profile companies leaving California for states with lower taxes and what critics call more business-friendly regulations. In recent years, giants like Tesla, Chevron, Charles Schwab, and In-N-Out have all shifted major operations to states like Texas, Tennessee, and Florida. California, which has the nation’s highest personal income tax rate at 13.3 percent, has faced criticism from business leaders who argue that such policies stifle growth. As reported by The Los Angeles Times, Kohn and others see Florida as a more welcoming environment for corporate expansion.
It’s not just about escaping high taxes, though. Robert Rivani, the developer behind The RIVANI, sees Playboy’s arrival as symbolic of Miami Beach’s growing allure for influential brands. “The move is part of a larger migration of influential companies leaving L.A. and New York for South Florida,” Rivani told Fox News Digital. “When people think of Miami Beach, they think of iconic brands, an unbeatable lifestyle and endless possibilities – and Playboy’s arrival amplifies all of that.”
Playboy’s own history has been one of constant reinvention. Founded in 1953, the magazine’s first issue featured Marilyn Monroe as its “Sweetheart of the Month” in a now-legendary nude photo spread. The brand quickly became a force in American culture, not only for its provocative imagery but also for publishing literary fiction and conducting interviews with historic figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Jimmy Carter. The first Playboy Club opened in 1960 in Chicago, then the company’s headquarters, and soon clubs were popping up around the world.
But times have changed. In 2020, Playboy ceased regular print publication, shifting its focus to online content, fashion, brand licensing, and sexual wellness. The company has also been working to reimagine its iconic Playmate franchise for the digital age. Despite these efforts, Playboy reported a $7.7 million net loss in its most recent quarter, though licensing revenue increased by 13 percent, according to Fox Business. The company is clearly hoping that a fresh start in Miami Beach – with its vibrant cultural scene and international business ties – will help turn the page.
For Miami Beach, the arrival of Playboy is being celebrated as a coup. City officials see the move as a testament to the region’s growing influence in the worlds of media, hospitality, and technology. The new headquarters, club, and studios are expected to create jobs and draw even more attention to Miami Beach as a destination for both business and pleasure.
As the company prepares to complete its transition by next year, Kohn is confident about the future. “Given Florida and Miami’s pro-business stance, leaving California, which is anti-business and a very difficult place to do business as an employer, we’re excited to be relocating,” he told Fox News Digital. With new studios, a reinvigorated club, and a renewed focus on digital and licensing, Playboy is betting that Miami Beach will provide the energy and opportunity it needs for its next act.
Playboy’s move signals not just the end of an era for its Hollywood headquarters, but the start of a bold new chapter in the Magic City. Whether this gamble pays off remains to be seen, but one thing’s for sure: all eyes are on Miami Beach as Playboy sets the stage for its future.
