The top editor of Forbes left his job last month and was reportedly dismissed for accepting $6 million from the founder of a firm that does business with the magazine.
The New York Times reported this week that Randall Lane was paid by RJ Shook, whose company, Shook Research, worked with Forbes since 2016 to publish rankings of wealth advisers. The payment was made after Shook sold a majority stake in the company to a private equity firm a year ago.
A internal email dated July 23 and reviewed by The Associated Press confirmed that Lane, who had been editor and chief content officer, no longer worked for the company. It provided no other details of his departure. Lane had worked for Forbes for nearly 16 years and as its top editor since 2017.
A person who works at Forbes and spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue told the AP that the staff discovered…