Shane Smith Says Vice Leaders Are ‘Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde’
“Nancy will run the company day to day from New York, and we will work lock step with our partners, management, employees and board in making sure
that Vice maintains its position as the leader of new media, and delivers on its commitment to 50/50 by 2020 as we work to become the most progressive workplace in the world.”
Ms. Dubuc, who announced on Monday that she was stepping down as chief executive of A&E Networks, became close with Mr. Smith
and Vice Media after A&E Networks invested $250 million in the company in 2014.
By EMILY STEELMARCH 13, 2018
With his typical bluster, Shane Smith announced on Tuesday
that he had surrendered his chief executive job at Vice Media to Nancy Dubuc, the chief executive of A&E Networks, saying the two of them were a “modern day Bonnie and Clyde” who would “take all your money.”
Mr. Smith said he would remain at the company as executive chairman of its board,
working closely with Ms. Dubuc and focusing on content and deal-making.
In response to the Times report, Mr. Smith and Suroosh Alvi, co-founders of the company, said in a statement
that “from the top down, we have failed as a company to create a safe and inclusive workplace where everyone, especially women, can feel respected and thrive.” In the months that followed, Vice’s chief digital officer left the company after it looked into harassment allegations against him.