Randall Lane

Randall Lane is the editor of Forbes Magazine, where he has helped it reach its highest-ever U.S. readership (6.7 million) with new emphases on young innovators and disruptors. Before returning to Forbes as the editor in 2011, Lane spent more than a decade co-founding, serving as editor-in-chief and, in the latter case, the CEO of two media startups that in aggregate launched almost a dozen magazines and related web sites, including P.O.V. (Adweek’s “Startup of the Year”), Trader Monthly, and Dealmaker. Based on these initiatives, Lane created two of the most significant annual events of the past decade: The Forbes 400 Summit on Philanthropy, which gathers the world’s billionaires to tackle global problems, and the Under 30 Summit, which convenes 2,000 Millennial entrepreneurs and game-changers from the Forbes 30 Under 30 lists to help chart a course for business over the next 50 years. His latest book project covers the latter topic: You Only Have to Be Right Once: The Rise of the Instant Billionaires Behind Spotify, Airbnb, WhatsApp, and 13 Other Amazing Startups (Penguin). A regular on MSNBC’s Morning Joe and other television programs, Lane is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, serves on the global board of directors for The Global Poverty Project/Global Citizen, chairs the advisory board for Last Mile Health, and serves three boards affiliated with his alma mater, the University of Pennsylvania. As a hobby, Lane, a certified sommelier, served as chief restaurant critic for Time Out New York, where he was a National Magazine Award finalist.