Michael Luo

The New Yorker’s Website Editor On Finding The Right Audience, And What He Learned From ‘The Mooch.’

- Emma Bazilian

You were hired by The New Yorker from The New York Times last October as an investigative editor for the magazine and now you’re running the website. How did that happen? 

I started [at The New Yorker] the week after the election. I think I edited six magazine stories in three months, and then [NewYorker.com editor] Nick Thompson left to take the job as editor in chief of Wired. Initially, they asked me if I was interested in replacing him, and I thought I might be, but I also thought it was silly because I had just come here to do something completely different. They interviewed a lot of people and came back to me and said, “We really think you should take this job.” [New Yorker editor in chief] David Remnick is very persuasive.

You were part of a committee looking at audience growth at the Times. Is that something you’re focused on at The New Yorker?