Getty Images files Chapter 11, plans privatization

Getty Images filed voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy on October 21, 2026 in Delaware to carry out a prearranged restructuring and go private. Affiliates of the Getty family and Koch Equity Development committed up to $533 million in new equity and will own 100% afterward; Koch is also providing up to $143 million in financing during the case. The company listed estimated assets and liabilities of $1 billion to $10 billion, launched a solicitation process for formal plan approval, says it will operate normally with no expected impact on employees, contributors, partners, customers or vendors, and aims to complete the restructuring by year-end 2026. The step follows the collapse of a proposed merger with Shutterstock. Outlets aligned on the core figures and timeline and differed mainly in emphasis—debt restructuring and privatization in some headlines, a bleaker bankruptcy framing in another. Completion remains subject to approvals.