New York Magazine Top Editor Adam Moss to Step Down

“Editors ought to have term-limits,” Moss says in a memo to staff

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Adam Moss, the longtime editor-in-chief of New York Magazine, will step down after 15 years, the company announced Tuesday. Moss has led editorial at New York Media, whose digital sites include Vulture and The Cut, steering its editorial voice throughout some of the most turbulent moments of the digital age.

“Editors ought to have term-limits. Experience is good, but after a while every institution needs a blood transfusion,” Moss said in a memo to staff Tuesday. “Plus: I’ve always only really known how to edit for myself, and I no longer feel that makes sense for me and New York,”

Moss’ last day will be March 31, though he will remain as an informal adviser to CEO Pam Wasserstein.

“Adam showed the world that a legacy print publisher could lead invention in digital products, that a brand with local origins could own national conversations, that a diversified premium media business can be constructed around an original editorial voice,” Wasserstein said in a statement. “On a more personal note, he is an inspiration and a joy. I have loved every minute of our partnership, and I am beyond grateful for his friendship.”

Under his direction, New York fully embraced digital, transitioning from a single print magazine into a new media powerhouse with websites like Vulture, the Cut, Intelligencer, and Grub Street becoming must-reads for their respective audiences.

Moss leaves without a clear next step, but said in his memo he was not concerned about the future of New York Media. Before taking over at New York, he edited The New York Times Magazine and founded the short-lived weekly 7 Days.

“I leave with great apprehension but all of it is personal — I love this place, and I’m not entirely sure what I’m going to do next. I don’t feel any anxiety for the company,” he said.

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