Sounded odd to me, too, so I checked. Conde Nast since 2008, privately owned until then, per Wikipedia.

I think it's optimistic to suggest that Ars Technica, a site with no qualms publishing e.g. a great big steaming pile of baseless AI scaremongering under a banner photo of a movie Terminator, is concerned that being under the same umbrella as a snake oil peddler might damage its brand.

What other purpose might the mobilization of your contempt at this time serve?