For years, a long-running debate was centered around who would take over the management of Rupert Murdoch’s empire. According to Vanity Fair, the media magnate’s children from his second marriage to Anna dePeyster — James Murdoch, Elisabeth Murdoch, and Lachlan Murdoch — were his top choice. An unnamed source who’s acquainted with the family told the publication that Rupert would stir up the road to his succession in his own way. “He pitted his kids against each other their entire lives. It’s sad,” the little birdie claimed.
Not that Rupert’s children weren’t strong on their own. In 2011, News Corp. purchased Elisabeth’s London-based production company Shine Group for a reported $674 million in stock. For a while, it seemed like James would be Rupert’s ideal replacement when Lachlan moved to Australia in 2005, but that changed when the latter returned 10 years later.
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In September 2023, Rupert finally named Lachlan as his successor. “For my entire professional life, I have been engaged daily with news and ideas, and that will not change,” he wrote in a letter to the press, per USA Today, adding that the time had come for him to pursue other roles. “Neither excessive pride nor false humility are admirable qualities,” Rupert continued, “But I am truly proud of what we have achieved collectively through the decades, and I owe much to my colleagues, whose contributions to our success have sometimes been unseen outside the company but are deeply appreciated by me.”
