‘To everyone at HuffPost: it’s you who make HuffPost what it is. But in a statement Thursday, she acknowledged she “simply couldn’t do justice to both companies” as Thrive Global’s prospects evolved.
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‘But I’ve made a decision to step down as HuffPost’s editor-in-chief to run my new venture, Thrive Global. She also said she felt it was time to understand when one door closes, another opens.
The news came as a huge surprise both inside and outside of the company, given that in June 2015, Huffington signed a new contract with Verizon, the new owners of the Huffington Post, to remain in her post until 2019.
Huffington has written recent books about health and sleep issues, and her start-up, Thrive Global, was originally intended as an extension of her work in these areas, with a focus on improving employee health.
The media juggernaut toured this past year to deliver lectures on the subjects of health, wellness and success.
Ms. Huffington, a Greek native, rose to USA prominence in the 1990s as a political commentator. Mr. Breitbart, who died in 2012 at the age of 43, created Breitbart.com, which has become a powerful voice in conservative media.
Arianna Huffington, president and Editor-in-Chief of The Huffington Post Media Group attends a session at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos January 25, 2014.
Arianna Huffington evidently doesn’t want to stick around to see whether the Huffington Post will keep its premium status at AOL now that parent company Verizon has bought Yahoo. “One of the Thrive principles is knowing when it’s time for a new chapter to begin, and for me that time has arrived”, Huffington wrote in a note on Facebook. “AOL and Verizon are committed to continuing its growth and the groundbreaking work Arianna pioneered”. Still, Huffington’s tenure was not without controversy.
Last year, Huffington told NPR that the media chooses to “focus mostly on bad news – crazies, rapes, mayhem”.
Many Huffington Post writers and contributors, however, are unpaid, and Huffington has argued that their visibility on a site with more than 100 million unique visitors a month is invaluable.
In April, Huffington joined the board of Uber-the ride-hailing giant’s first female board member-which raised questions about HuffPost’s editorial independence in covering the company.
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“In a way, it’s a golden age for consumers”, she said in 2010.
