Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 24
RJ Shook Defends $6 Million Payment to Fired Forbes Editor Randall Lane
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 24

RJ Shook Defends $6 Million Payment to Fired Forbes Editor Randall Lane

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 24

Summary

  • $6 million went to former Forbes chief content officer Randall Lane for “services and guidance,” RJ Shook said, after Lane was fired last month when Forbes learned of the payment.
  • Shook said Lane helped facilitate a 2016 partnership between Forbes and Shook Research and later assisted his efforts to sell the firm.
  • That payment came after Shook sold a controlling stake in Shook Research last year to private equity firm PPC Enterprises.
  • Shook called the payment a mistake despite saying it was well-intentioned, acknowledging it had raised questions about the integrity and independence of Shook’s adviser rankings used by Forbes.

Insights

How did a $6 million secret payout between a top Forbes editor and a ranking firm go unnoticed for over a decade?
Could this undisclosed $6 million payment completely invalidate years of prestigious financial advisor rankings published by Forbes?
Will Forbes invoke the 'faithless servant' doctrine to claw back millions from their former chief content officer?