Running a massive media engine isn't exactly a walk in the park these days. Most people think of newspapers as relics, but if you look at the CEO of Dow Jones, Almar Latour, you'll see a totally different story unfolding. It’s not just about printing the Wall Street Journal anymore. It is about data. It is about professional services. Honestly, it’s about survival in an era where everyone thinks they’re a journalist because they have a Twitter—well, X—account.
Latour took the reins back in 2020. Talk about timing. He stepped into the role right as the world was shutting down, and he’s since been tasked with steering a legacy brand through the roughest waters the media industry has ever seen.
What the CEO of Dow Jones actually does every day
Most folks assume the CEO of Dow Jones just sits in a high-rise office reading the paper. Not quite. Latour is basically the architect of a multi-platform beast. Dow Jones isn't just the Journal; it’s Barron’s, MarketWatch, Mansion Global, and a massive B2B wing called Dow Jones Risk & Compliance.
Think about it this way. While most media companies are begging for pennies from digital ads, Latour has leaned heavily into the subscription model. It works. People pay for what they can't get elsewhere. Latour, who started as a reporter himself, understands that the "moat" around Dow Jones is its credibility. If the data is wrong, the business dies. Simple as that.
He's also navigating the complex relationship with News Corp and the Murdoch family. It's a high-stakes balancing act. You have to keep the editorial independence of the newsroom intact while satisfying the corporate hunger for growth. It’s a lot of pressure. He's been vocal about how news shouldn't just be a commodity. It should be an essential tool for making money.
From reporter to the C-Suite
It’s actually a pretty cool story. Latour isn't some "suit" who came from a private equity firm. He started at the bottom. He was a reporter in Central and Eastern Europe. He covered the tech boom. He lived the life of a foreign correspondent. This gives him a weird kind of "street cred" with the journalists he now manages.
You can't really BS a guy who used to file stories from the field.
Under his leadership, the company has seen some of its most profitable years. Why? Because he realized early on that "news" is only half the battle. The real money is in the "Information Services" sector. This is the stuff most people don't see—the data feeds that banks and law firms use to make sure they aren't accidentally doing business with sanctioned individuals. It’s boring, but it’s a goldmine.
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The AI elephant in the room
You can't talk about the CEO of Dow Jones in 2026 without talking about Artificial Intelligence. It’s everywhere. Latour has been pretty measured about it. He’s not one of those "AI will replace everyone" alarmists, but he's also not ignoring it.
The strategy seems to be: use AI to make the boring stuff faster, but keep the humans for the "why."
He’s been a proponent of making sure tech giants pay for the content they scrape. This is a huge battleground. If Google or OpenAI uses Wall Street Journal reports to train their models, Dow Jones wants a cut. And they should get one. Latour has been a key voice in the industry-wide push for fair compensation.
- He prioritizes high-value audiences over raw traffic.
- He pushed for the acquisition of companies like OPIS and CMA to bolster the professional data side.
- He manages a global workforce that spans across dozens of time zones.
Why Dow Jones is different than the New York Times
Everyone likes to compare the two. It’s the classic rivalry. But honestly? They are playing different games. The Times is a lifestyle brand for many. Dow Jones, specifically through the WSJ and its professional tools, is a utility.
If the Times goes down, you miss your crossword and some great op-eds. If Dow Jones goes down, traders lose their minds. Latour knows this. He’s doubling down on "must-have" information.
There's also the political angle. People love to complain about the Journal's editorial page, but Latour has generally kept a "hands-off" approach, letting the newsroom and the opinion side do their own things. It’s a strategy that keeps the brand relevant across the political spectrum, even if it makes some people angry on both sides.
The global expansion gamble
While everyone else is cutting back, Latour has looked overseas. There is a massive appetite for American-style financial journalism in Asia and Europe. He’s spent a lot of time making sure the brand is visible in London, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
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But it’s not just about translating English articles. It’s about localizing the data.
People think globalization is dead, but Latour is betting that financial markets will always be interconnected. If you want to know what's happening in the US markets, you go to Dow Jones. He wants to make that true for every major market on the planet.
Managing the Murdoch transition
Let's be real: the Murdoch family is always in the headlines. When Rupert Murdoch stepped down and Lachlan took over as chairman, the CEO of Dow Jones had to ensure the transition didn't disrupt the business.
It’s a delicate dance.
Latour has managed to stay out of the family drama while keeping the business performing. That’s a skill in itself. He’s focused on the numbers. And the numbers have been good. Digital subscriptions are up, and the professional information business is booming.
The future of the role
Where does the CEO of Dow Jones go from here? The next five years will be defined by how the company handles the "death of the cookie" and the rise of generative search.
Latour is betting on first-party data.
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If you own the relationship with the reader, you don't need to rely on Google’s tracking. That’s the goal. He wants a walled garden where the information is so valuable that you’d never dream of leaving. It’s a bold strategy, but given the track record so far, it’s hard to bet against him.
He also has to deal with the physical reality of the newspaper. People still love the feel of the paper in the morning, but the costs of printing and delivery are skyrocketing. Balancing the nostalgia of print with the efficiency of digital is a constant headache.
Practical steps for business leaders
If you're looking at how Almar Latour runs things, there are a few things you can actually apply to your own business, even if you aren't running a global media empire.
Protect your brand's integrity at all costs.
In a world of deepfakes and AI-generated junk, being the "source of truth" is the only long-term competitive advantage. Don't trade your reputation for a quick spike in traffic or sales.
Diversify your revenue before you have to.
Latour didn't wait for the ad market to collapse to build the professional services wing. He saw the writing on the wall. Look at your own business and figure out where your "hidden" value is. It might be your data, your process, or your niche expertise.
Focus on the "utility" of your product.
Are you a "nice to have" or a "must-have"? The closer you can get to being a utility for your customers, the more recession-proof you become. Ask yourself: if we disappeared tomorrow, would my customers' lives actually get harder, or would they just find a replacement in five minutes?
Don't ignore the tech, but don't let it lead you.
Use AI to automate the mundane, but never let it touch the core value proposition that requires human judgment. At Dow Jones, that's the reporting. In your business, it’s whatever your "secret sauce" is.
The CEO of Dow Jones is currently proving that legacy media isn't a dying industry—it's just an industry in the middle of a massive, painful, and ultimately necessary transformation. If you keep your head down and focus on the data, you might just come out the other side stronger than ever.