One of the things we like to think about in ux design is how we can design at the intersection of user goals and business goals. In this case the business model

One of the things we like to think about in ux design is how we can design at the intersection of user goals and business goals. In this case the business model is to drive a high volume of impressions to a broad audience. Therefore this is a viable ux, since the business goal is to drive volume, not engagement. A site like qz is going to have to command a much higher cpm and as a result will need to focus on retaining high value users as opposed to just driving high volume impressions. A great analogue to this is in eCommerce sites. Compare the number of products presented on an amazon product page to the number presented on Barney's New York or net a porter. Amazon moves higher volume of product, and generates more revenue, but does that mean they present the best ux for shopping? Certainly not, but that's not their focus, nor is it Forbes's priority to provide the best possible ux for readers.