Arianna Huffington, who founded The Huffington Post 11 years ago and built it into a leading digital media site, plans to give up her role as president and editor-in-chief within the next few weeks.
AOL acquired HuffPost in 2011 and was then acquired by Verizon last year, so her replacement could come from a number of places.
Click on for the top five.
Luke Beatty
He’s the current president of media brands for HuffPo’s parent company, AOL, and oversees a variety of brands, including TechCrunch and Mapquest.
Bob Toohey
Previously the chief operating officer of Verizon Enterprise Solutions, as president of digital media services, Toohey oversees all aspects of the company’s over-the-top and TV Everywhere operation.
Katie Couric
Yahoo’s global news anchor could be up for a new challenge and, with Verizon having recently bought Yahoo, the erstwhile search giant’s news division will essentially be HuffPo’s sister once the deal passes regulators.
Keith Olbermann
Olbermann shares very similar political views and running the HuffPost would put him in a position of power, which he seems to crave after clashing with numerous organizations.
Liz Heron
Currently HuffPo’s executive editor, Heron is the most logical internal candidate to succeed Huffington.
Kate Palmer
Current editorial director of lifestyle is among the leading contenders if they stay in-house.
Ryan Grim
Grim, the current D.C. Bureau Chief, would ensure the site’s political views don’t change under new leadership.
Jim Roberts
Roberts was a New York Times editor who left to run Mashable and now consults for The Hill.
Katie Nelson
Huffington Post’s news director could emerge as another internal candidate.
