Vox Names Swati Sharma Editor in Chief

Sharma joins Vox Media from The Atlantic, where she was a managing editor

swati sharma
Vox Media

Vox announced Tuesday that Swati Sharma would be the new editor in chief, joining the company after three years at The Atlantic.

Sharma, a 34-year-old who most recently served as managing editor at The Atlantic, said in a tweet said that she’s “thrilled” to oversee the site 90-person digital newsroom, which she’s “long admired.”

“I am honored to work with @melissabell and build on the important legacy left by @laurenwilliams and
@ezraklein. From its inception, @voxdotcom has worked to provide a deep understanding of an ever complex and often confusing world — and that work is more vital than ever,” she added, referencing Vox’s style of clearly breaking down the biggest and often weediest stories of the day.

Melissa Bell, co-founder and publisher of Vox Media, also praised Sharma. “Throughout her career, Swati has combined a deep respect for great journalism with a profound understanding for audience needs,” Bell said in a statement. “I’m so excited to have Swati working with Vox during this incredible moment of change for both us and our audiences. She brings an appreciation of Vox’s distinctive journalistic mission and proven experience leading teams to consistently produce their best work.”

Lauren Williams is leaving her position as Vox’s editor in chief to launch Capital B, a nonprofit news organization for Black communities. Sharma will take over for her next month.

There have been other top-level exits in recent months, too. Co-founder Ezra Klein departed last November for a columnist gig at the New York Times.

“I’ve always believed it’s important for founders to know when to let new generations take the reins. One of the great privileges in starting Vox was we got to build without anyone looking over our shoulder. We got to pursue our vision, make our mistakes, imagine our future,” Klein, who co-founded Vox in 2014, tweeted at the time.

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