WarnerMedia CEO Jason Killer will step down as the company merges with Discovery.
Killer made the announcement via email to employees before appearing on CNBC’s “Tech Check” on Tuesday.
“There may be many feelings in a moment like this, but I have nothing greater or lasting than a feeling of gratitude and love for this team, this organization and this mission,” Killer wrote in an email from CNBC. “I’ve never been more professional. I’ve never been happier professionally.”
Killer, Hulu’s one-time CEO, was named chief executive of AT & T’s WarnerMedia division in April 2020. He launched the role in May, just as the HBO Max streaming platform was launched. He was also responsible for Warner Bros. ‘s controversial decision to release everyone. Streaming and theatrical movies in 2021.
The pending transaction with Discovery is almost here, now is the right time to share with each of you that I am leaving this amazing company.
There may be many feelings in such a moment, but I have nothing greater, or lasting, than a feeling of gratitude and love for this team, this organization, and this mission. I have never been more professional. I have never been happier professionally. This team – and what we’ve created together – is the cause. We are leading the industry creatively. We have advanced technology, products and design to the highest standards of the company. We are working as a team, proudly and successfully going directly to customers all over the world. It is deeply gratifying for each of you to lean towards the future and to do so with conviction.
A lot of the fun, especially with the many members of the WarnerMedia team, was deeply immersed in my walk-and-talk, hand-me-downs, along the high line at Hudson Yards, a multi-storey building in Burbank. And in the vicinity of Techwood and the CNN Center, inside our archives, across the vast expanse of Leavesden, anywhere in our game studio, or in many other places where this team literally changed the world. Apparently, the word has gotten around that when Jason calls for a walk, don’t forget to wear comfortable walking shoes!
For those of you who know me well (or follow me on Twitter), it’s no surprise that I love our history and our footprint as a company around the world. I have done my best to visit and know as much as you can and to photograph my love for this team and this company through social media. So while my wife Jamie and I were thinking about what we could do on our own to properly express our gratitude to each of you, we came up with the idea of creating a series of artistic things featuring some of the photos I took. This team and WarnerMedia celebrate. We invite you all to visit this website and choose a picture that echoes … from the iconic Warner Bros. Water Tower, the glittering tower of Hudson Yards, the Virtual Production Stage of Livesden and much more. An artwork featuring that image (and a note from me on the back) will be sent to you in the coming weeks. We hope this memoir brings a smile and reminds you of the important contributions we have made to the 99-year legacy of this remarkable company.
It is my honor to lead this team. My heart is so full, and I am grateful to each of you. There is no better team on the planet than this, and I will taste every last step because I will be touring Barbank a few more times this week, this team in my mind, always.
This is a breaking news story. Please look back for updates.