Time CEO Jessica Sibley announced on Monday the appointment of Sam Jacobs from deputy editor to the magazine’s editor-in-chief, effective immediately.
“This is an exciting moment for our brand and today we are making history: Sam is the youngest editor to lead Time since co-founder Henry Luce. His appointment as Time’s 19th top editor comes as we are reaching the largest audience in our history—105 million people around the world—with readers under the age of 35 accounting for 45% of Time’s global audience,” Sibley wrote.
Jacobs is 37. Luce was 31 when he was named EIC of all Time Inc. publications in 1929, a post he held until 1964, when he became editorial chairman.
“I am confident in Sam’s vision, values, and expertise, and I couldn’t be more excited to partner with him on our shared goals in Time 3.0.”
She praised Jacobs for his “instrumental” work and “strategic direction of the editorial team.”
Jacobs said in a statement, ” I could not be more excited to be named Editor in Chief of Time. Over the last few weeks, I’ve had the chance to speak with many of you and am looking forward to more conversations this spring. I want to hear what excites you about TIME’s future and how we can support our values together.”
He added, “Time’s mission is to tell the essential stories of the people who shape and improve the world. We do this now in more ways than any other time in our history. What has not changed is our steadfast commitment to maintaining the trust of our readers and building a culture where we challenge and support one another…. I look forward to continuing this essential work with all of you.”
