Media: JIM VANDEHEI

As co-founder of media outlet Politico, VandeHei helped reinvent political reporting in 2007. He followed that 10 years later by launching Axios, a media news site that announced in August it would be acquired for $525 million by Cox Enterprises Inc. VandeHei will remain in charge of Axios, which is known for its “smart brevity” approach to news and email newsletters.

Last year, VandeHei launched Axios Local “to bring smart, modern, trustworthy local news to every community in America,” via morning newsletters with curated aggregated news and original reporting.

“Axios Local has expanded to 16 cities, including Richmond and D.C., and will be in more than 25 cities by the end of 2022,” VandeHei says. If successful, the venture will enable the former Wall Street Journal and Washington Post reporter to continue adding to his more than 400 employees worldwide.

As part of the Cox Enterprises acquisition, Axios HQ, the company’s software division, will be spun off into a new company led by Axios co-founder Roy Schwartz.

WHAT I’VE LEARNED: People underestimate the power of leadership, both for good and bad.

SOMETHING I’D NEVER DO AGAIN: Work with or for people with bad values or sour attitudes