How to play the long game, with New York Times CEO Meredith Kopit Levien

Digital Shift

Meredith Kopit Levien, CEO of The New York Times, discusses the company's shift towards a digital-first approach, emphasizing the importance of product innovation and technology investment. She highlights the transformation of the organization into a cross-functional digital product development entity, which has been crucial for growth and engagement. This reorganization was aimed at making the company operate like a fast-scaling tech firm, focusing on objectives rather than top-down planning 1.

We've got a pretty sizable marketing organization that helps people understand where does the brand sit in people's lives? What does it mean? How does that relate to our product?

--- Meredith Levien

Meredith also notes the exponential growth in software investment, which is necessary to compete with major platforms like Facebook and Instagram 2.

   

Restructuring

The New York Times has undergone significant corporate restructuring to facilitate digital growth and improve operational efficiency. Meredith explains that the company now reports in two segments: the New York Times group and the Athletic, each with distinct business models 3. This separation allows for more focused management of their diverse offerings, from news to games and cooking apps.

After the leaking of the innovation report, we just said, let's just publish this stuff ourselves.

--- Meredith Levien

This transparency in strategy reflects a shift towards building in public, a move that aligns with modern tech company practices 4.