Those two questions have become maybe the biggest parlor game in media circles these days now that David “Zas” Zaslav is no longer the CEO of Warner Bros Discovery, so I thought I would snoop around.
asserted
I → become → Discovery
The short answer: While I can tell you approximately where he’s been hanging out lately, the fact is that not even Zas knows what his next gig will be.
asserted
gig → tell → ?
That’s partly because he now has what they call in the old neighborhood “f–k you money,” meaning he can, if he wants, sit around and watch the seasons change.
asserted
seasons → ’ → money
His $81 billion sale of WBD took some time.
asserted
sale → take → time
A months-long bidding war was followed by legal challenges and finally a settlement with lefty state AGs who concocted an antitrust case out of the WBD sale to Paramount.
asserted
who → follow → Paramount
Eventually, cooler heads prevailed, recognizing it as a case of two companies that needed to team up to compete against tech heavyweights encroaching on their turf.
asserted
that → prevail → turf
It also cleared the way for one of the biggest paydays in media history.
asserted
It → clear → history
Zas is walking away, all in, with around $1 billion in total comp (vested options, other stock awards and tax benefits) for his four-plus year tenure at WBD.
asserted
Zas → walk → WBD
I have made the case he’s worth every dime.
asserted
he → make → case
WBD was floundering from the moment he got there until relatively recently.
asserted
he → flounder → moment
It was created through the combination of Discovery and the old Warner Media and loaded with debt and disparate properties.
asserted
It → create → debt
He fixed the infrastructure, slashed debt and last summer started a bidding war that took the stock to $31 from around $7.
asserted
that → fix → 7
He’s not the only one who did well; as this column has also pointed out.
asserted
column → ’ → ?
He pushed stock ownership throughout WBD not just his top people, making plenty of newly minted millionaires as a result.
asserted
He → push → result
After all of that, Zas is not rushing to do anything.
asserted
Zas → rush → anything
As he recently told someone inquiring about his next move: “Still roping cattle, off the grid.
asserted
he → tell → grid
It’s hard to imagine Zas riding a horse and lassoing wild beasts in his trademark fleece.
asserted
Zas → ’ → fleece
On the prairie, you can’t find the same quality bagels and lox they serve at his favorite breakfast spot, Manhattan’s Barney Greengrass.
asserted
they → find → spot
Also, if you know Zas, he’s a notorious workaholic who is never really off the grid.
asserted
who → know → grid
While he is taking some much-needed downtime now to do some biking in Montana with his family, people who know him say he’s getting ready for a second act, even if he’s not quite sure what that will be.
asserted
that → take → act
When he returns, I am told, he could team up with his long-time mentor, cable pioneer John Malone, and “do deals,” one person who knows him tells me.
uncertain
who → return → me
He also might write a book about his long career on Wall Street.
uncertain
He → write → Street
In addition to Malone, Zas learned from the legendary Jack Welch when he was an NBCU executive and the media company was owned by General Electric.
asserted
company → learn → Electric
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He also might do nothing (he’s rich enough).
uncertain
he → meet → nothing
But he has lately told friends he “needs more hobbies” outside of running media companies, dealmaking, and occasionally biking.
asserted
he → tell → companies
When he’s home in NYC, there’s only so much time Zas can spend hang out at Barney Greengrass with a breakfast club that includes former Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, Hollywood mogul David Geffen and media magnate Barry Diller.
asserted
that → ’ → Blankfein
Keep an eye out, I am told, because Zas has “flexibility to do almost anything.”
asserted
Zas → keep → anything
As a reporter who loves a good story, I can’t wait.
asserted
I → love → story
The Aporia
