The president of Hearst’s magazine division resigned Thursday, one day after The New York Times reported on his history of lewd, sexist remarks in the workplace.
The executive, Troy Young, was elevated to lead the magazine division in 2018 as the face of digital transformation, and despite the fact that at least four employees had complained about what they viewed as bullying and harassing conduct.
“Troy Young and I have agreed that it is in the best interest of all of us that he resign his position as president of Hearst Magazines, effective immediately,” Hearst’s chief executive, Steven Swartz, said in an email to employees.
The Times reported Wednesday that Mr. Young had made suggestive remarks about sex toys, emailed pornography to a senior editor, and made explicit remarks to a junior employee.
Mr. Young was also a divisive figure inside the company because he had wrested control of the websites of storied magazines like Cosmopolitan and Esquire from their print editors and focused on increasing their traffic at the expense of their clear brands.
“There’s a real hypocrisy to elevating this man to lead a company populated with magazines that are preaching women’s empowerment on their covers,” Michelle Ruiz, a former senior editor at Cosmopolitan, told The Times.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
