Business Insider Editor-in-Chief Nicholas Carlson is stepping down from his role at the company, and a search for his replacement is already underway.
Carlson announced the decision on Tuesday morning in a meeting with the outlet’s leadership. While he is resigning from his editor-in-chief role, Carlson will remain with Business Insider becoming an editor-at-large, with a focus on longer-term reporting and projects.
According to an internal memo to staffers, obtained by TheWrap, CEO Barbara Peng will be leading the search for a new editor-in-chief.
Carlson made it clear that “my move has nothing to do with any criticism of our journalism,” referencing Business Insider’s recent reporting on Neri Oxman’s work, prompting fury in response from billionaire Bill Ackman.
“Every year I’ve been in this job we’ve published journalism that, though fair, has left very powerful people mad at us,” Carlson continued. “That’s a fact of journalism, and that’s never going away.”
Carlson also assured staffers that “our future is bright,” with a “clear editorial strategy … We are back to Business Insider — a brand that everyone knows and that our target audience loves.”
“It’s not goodbye yet,” Carlson concluded. “We’ve still got time together, and I plan to relish it.”
In another memo to staffers, Peng added that Carlson has “shaped so much of what Business Insider has become and I want to thank him for his tremendous contributions.”
“We’re kicking off a search for our next Editor-in-Chief and will share more in the coming weeks and months,” Peng added.
In a statement to TheWrap, an Axel Springer spokesperson said, “Nicholas Carlson’s leadership enabled Business Insider to become an award-winning newsroom that reaches hundreds of millions of readers and viewers monthly around the world, and we look forward to continuing our work with him as he transitions to Editor-at-Large.”
“We’re proud to see Business Insider’s renewed focus on what it does best: deeply reported, unafraid coverage of business, tech, and innovation, and we are excited for CEO Barbara Peng to lead the search for Business Insider’s next Editor in Chief,” Business Insider’s parent company continued.
Semafor first reported the news that Carlson would be stepping down on Tuesday.
