The Atlantic magazine is majority-owned by Laurene Powell Jobs through her organization Emerson Collective, with a remaining minority stake held by David G. Bradley and Atlantic Media.

Who owns The Atlantic?

  • Laurene Powell Jobs, via her Emerson Collective, acquired a majority stake in The Atlantic in 2017.
  • David G. Bradley (Atlantic Media) retained a minority ownership position after that sale.
  • The deal was structured with the expectation that Emerson Collective would move toward full ownership within a few years of the 2017 acquisition.

Quick timeline

  1. 1980: Mortimer Zuckerman bought The Atlantic.
  1. 1999: David G. Bradley (National Journal Group / Atlantic Media) took over ownership.
  1. 2017: Laurene Powell Jobs’s Emerson Collective purchased a majority stake; Bradley kept a minority share.

Ownership snapshot (HTML table)

[3][7][5] [7][5] [9][3][5] [1][3][5][9]
Year Owner Notes
Pre-1980 Various prior owners Magazine founded in 1857 in Boston.
1980–1999 Mortimer Zuckerman Real estate magnate and media owner.
1999–2017 David G. Bradley / Atlantic Media Shifted focus toward politics and Washington coverage.
2017–present Laurene Powell Jobs’s Emerson Collective (majority) Bradley / Atlantic Media retains a minority stake; Emerson expected to move to full ownership over time.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.