Noah Shachtman, the editor-in-chief of Rolling Stone, is stepping down at the end of the month after spending more than two years at the helm of the pop culture bible.
In a brief memo to employees seen by The New York Times, Mr. Shachtman said his last day at the helm of the magazine would be March 1, but he did not specify the reasons for his departure.
His resignation was prompted by editorial differences with Gus Wenner, Rolling Stone’s chief executive, according to a person who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel matters.
“This is the right decision Gus Wenner and I made after many discussions about the direction of the brand,” Mr. Shachtman said in the letter.
Mr. Wenner told employees in a separate memo that Mr. Shachtman would be replaced on an interim basis by Sean Woods, the magazine’s deputy editor, and Lisa Tozzi, its digital director. The magazine will begin searching for a new editor-in-chief in the coming weeks, he said. Mr. Shachtman will continue to contribute to the magazine.
“I want to thank him for all the work, passion and dedication he has put into our publication over the past several years,” Mr. Wenner wrote.
Former Daily Beast editor Mr. Shachtman brought the news site’s uncompromising, investigative sensibility to Rolling Stone. During his tenure, the magazine published investigations of prominent musicians and actors, including Jonathan Majors and Marilyn Manson. The publication also won a National Magazine Award for Digital Design and was nominated for its first Emmy Award in interactive media under his leadership.
In recent years, Rolling Stone has focused on expanding beyond its traditional magazine roots, emphasizing businesses including events, licensing, e-commerce, film, television and podcasts.
Rolling Stone was plunged into crisis last year when Jann Wenner, one of the magazine’s founders, made comments in an interview with The Times that were widely considered racist and sexist. Jann Wenner, who is the father of Gus Wenner, left the publication in 2019, but he was still influential in the music world as a board member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, which he also helped found. After his comments were published, he was ousted from the foundation and condemned by the Black Rock Coalition, a fire Mr. Shachtman had pushed Rolling Stone to cover.