Hefner started working for Playboy Enterprises, Inc. when he was in college. In early 2016, Hefner, who was a board observer at the time, left the company due to disagreements with then CEO Scott Flanders about the direction the company was taking. Hefner then began editing, writing and publishing op-eds, which centered on politics, culture and philosophy. In 2016 Hefner launched the media startup company Hop focused on content and social events for millennials. Hefner returned to Playboy and was named chief creative officer of the company in July 2016 when Hugh Hefner stepped down from that post. In February 2017, Hefner announced nude images would return to the magazine stating that the problem had been the presentation of nude images rather than the nudity itself. Hefner also oversaw the decision to feature Playboy's first transgender playmate in the centerfold for its November issue. As stated in Forbes, Playboy's earnings for 2017 increased by more than 39% year-over-year following Hefner’s return to the company, where he worked to develop strategic and lucrative partnerships to limit expenses at the company. On January 1, 2018 the Wall Street Journal reported the controlling shareholder of Playboy Enterprises, Inc.—private-equity firm Rizvi Traverse—was considering ending the U.S. print edition of Playboy Magazine and quoted Ben Kohn, managing partner at Rizvi, as stating the magazine has lost as much as $7 million annually in recent years. Hefner has been recognized on The Folio: 100 list for 2017 for his contributions to the magazine media industry as well as appearing on the Forbes30 Under 30 list for 2018. In January 2019, Hefner took over as the chief of global partnerships for Playboy Enterprises. In that position, he would focus on revenue and business development over content and media management. On April 12, 2019 Playboy Enterprises CEO Ben Kohn confirmed Hefner would exit his senior role at Playboy to launch a media brand, the Hefner Media Corporation, and a digital content platform called HefPost. Later, through Instagram and Twitter accounts after having left Playboy, in July 2019 Hefner stated his new digital content platform would be called instead StagDaily. In December 2019, Hefner halted plans to start a media company and digital content platform, and chose instead to enlist in the United States Air Force. Hefner was previously a member of the California State Military Reserve. Hefner is a teacher at Chapman University, where he also serves on the board of governors. Hefner considered running for Congress in California's 37th congressional district in 2016. In July 2020, Hefner announced his campaign as a Democrat for the California Senate, in the state's 30th District.
Personal life
Hefner has been recognized for his activism and work with the LGBTQ+ community. In 2018, he received a British LGBT Award. In 2015, Hefner became engaged toBritish actressScarlett Byrne. On November 4, 2019, Hefner and Byrne announced that they had married. On March 10, 2020, Hefner and his wife Scarlett announced they are expecting their first child.
