Passing the Torch
Our fearless leader is handing over the reigns of PC Mag. — After five years at Ziff Davis Media and nearly 16 years in editorial content—the last two at the helm of this terrific magazine—I've decided to try something new. I've jumped over to become CEO of Revision3 …
Context & Ripple Effects
This departure lands in the middle of a visible churn cycle at the top of tech publishing. In May 2007, PC World went through its own leadership crisis when Harry McCracken returned as editor in chief after a brief exit, and a month later NewTeeVee was already cataloguing the wider drift of old-media figures jumping to new-media companies. The writer of this column is now part of that drift himself, leaving Ziff Davis Media's flagship after two years running the magazine and nearly sixteen years in editorial.
The destination matters as much as the exit: Revision3 is an internet-video startup that reportedly raised an $8 million second round led by Greylock in June 2007 — unconfirmed at the time — which would bring its total capital to roughly $9 million. A print editor taking the CEO seat there is a bet on online video over print circulation.
First-order effects
- Ziff Davis Media must replace the top editor of PC Magazine on short notice, adding succession risk at its flagship while the print-advertising base is under pressure.
- Revision3 installs a CEO with deep editorial and publishing-industry credibility, useful for content partnerships and advertiser trust as it scales beyond its founding shows.
Second-order effects
- Rival publishers watch the move as a recruiting signal: if a sitting editor-in-chief will jump to a video startup, retention economics across legacy titles like PC Magazine and PC World shift toward equity and mission, not just salary.
- If the reported Greylock round holds, Revision3 gains the runway to hire more ex-print talent, tightening competition with traditional outlets for the same bylines and ad dollars.
Third-order effects
- Editorial leadership is becoming transferable capital between media eras — the same skill set that ran a magazine is being priced as management talent for consumer internet-video platforms.
- If the pattern of 2007 exits continues, legacy publishers face a structural succession problem where their most senior people are the ones most likely to leave for funded new-media ventures.
The trend: Senior print-magazine editors are migrating to venture-funded internet video and new-media startups, turning editorial succession at legacy publishers into a recurring structural weakness.