A chat with Quartz’s new managing editor

Aby Sam Thomas of The Aerogram interviewed new Quartz managing editor Bobby Ghosh about his new job and why he left Time magazine.

Here is an excerpt:

First off — why did you make the move to Quartz from Time? Also, what is going to be your strategy for your role as managing editor of Quartz?

Bobby Ghosh: Well, I’ve been a big admirer of Quartz since they launched nearly two years ago. I’ve been a fan of Kevin Delaney [editor in chief, Quartz], and I know Mitra [Kalita, ideas editor, Quartz] quite well personally. So, you know, I’ve been watching them, and I think they are on to something really smart, and almost essential, which is [being] the chronicler of the new global economy.

When they reached out to me [for this job], it was a sort of no-brainer, really, for me. I didn’t have that much hesitation. I had done 16 years at Time, which is a long time, and so it seemed like a good time to leave. I was keen to switch to a digital platform, and this was the smartest one that I know personally. So it was quite easy to say yes [to them] quickly.

Quartz clearly is at a very important stage in their growth. They have acquired a certain critical mass, and [they] now need to build on it. And that’s why — it’s not just me — they are hiring a bunch of people. My function will be to run the newsroom and to provide some sort of guidance and leadership along with the rest of the leadership team.

My instinct is to take what I love about Quartz and do more of it. Adding more staff is the first step in that direction. What I like most about Quartz is that they are uncompromisingly smart. There is a tendency now to provide for traffic before building ability, and I think Quartz is being very smart, and not to, sort of, descend to click rates.

Read more here.