NEW YORK (AP) — Upending a longtime tradition of promoting from within its ranks, Simon & Schuster has named a former Amazon.com executive, Greg Greeley, as its new CEO. The publisher announced Monday that Greeley's appointment is effective immediately.
A spokesman confirmed that the choice of Greeley marks the first time in memory that Simon & Schuster had hired a CEO from outside the company. The 62-year-old Greeley succeeds Jonathan Karp, who announced last year that he was stepping down to found his own imprint at the publishing house, Simon Six. Simon & Schuster, which celebrated its centennial in 2024, is home to Stephen King, Colleen Hoover and Bob Woodward and many other bestselling and prize-winning authors.
While Karp is a longtime editor and publisher who had previously served as head of Simon & Schuster's flagship imprint, Greeley has a background in business and investment. He spent nearly 20 years at Amazon, where his positions included vice president of Amazon Prime. In 2018, he left to serve as president of Airbnb's Homes division. More recently, he was president and COO of the biotechnology startup Opentrons and CEO of Thrasio, a consumer goods company.
“Greg Greeley is a talented and strategic leader with wide-ranging experience managing enterprises across physical and digital markets," Richard Sarnoff, chair of the publisher's board of directors, said in a statement. “His depth of expertise and avid love of books give us the confidence that he is the right CEO to take Simon & Schuster forward as it begins its next 100 years.”
Greeley will be running Simon & Schuster at a time of rapid change in the industry, with publishers, authors and agents debating the role of AI in the future of books.
Simon & Schuster has endured numerous upheavals over the past few years, including the death of CEO Carolyn Reidy, Karp's immediate predecessor, and an attempted sale to Penguin Random House that was blocked by a federal judge over antitrust concerns. Simon & Schuster's then-corporate owners, Paramount Global, sold the publisher to the private equity firm KKR in 2023.
"Simon & Schuster has played an enduring role in sharing and shaping human culture through books, and I’m honored to steward that mission for the next generation of authors and readers,” Greeley said in a statement.
This story corrects the year that its centennial was celebrated to 2024.
FILE - A book published by Simon & Schuster is displayed on July 30, 2022, in Tigard, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane, File)
HOUSTON (AP) — Tarik Skubal didn’t get a lot of sleep the last two nights as he mulled whether to pitch again for the United States in the World Baseball Classic.
In the end, the Detroit Tigers ace and reigning two-time AL Cy Young Award winner decided against it.
“My spring training start days were scripted out in January with the original plan being starting and then being done,” Skubal said. “And obviously when I got here my emotions kind of changed a little bit, my thought process changed a little bit and tried to make it work but just couldn’t. And I hate it, but it’s all right.”
He said he made the decision after consulting with the Tigers and manager A.J. Hinch, his agent Scott Boras and his teammates in Houston and at spring training in Florida.
“The resounding message was to kind of be done but still be around the team as much as I can,” Skubal said.
Skubal is eligible to become a free agent after this season and is expected to secure a nine-figure contract. He said his decision would have “probably” been different if not for the contract implications.
Skubal gave up a home run to Nate Eaton on his first pitch Saturday night but allowed just one single after that while striking out five in three innings of a 9-1 victory over Britain.
Manager Mark DeRosa fully understands why he chose not to start again and supports his decision.
“I know what’s at stake for him,” DeRosa said. “I’m over the moon he decided to show in the first place for us — I really am — and take the ball for us. I think it meant a lot to a lot of guys in that room. We know where his heart is. If he was in a different situation, he wouldn’t be leaving.”
Last month, Skubal said he intended to make only one WBC start regardless of how far the U.S. advanced because he wanted to remain on a regular spring training regimen and ramp up for opening day with Detroit.
He said he was surprised with how emotional pitching for his country made him and it caused him to rethink his decision.
“I totally misread how I would feel,” he said. “And I feel like I’m genuinely a guy that kind of understands emotions, I pitch with a lot of them, but, yeah, I missed it there, and that’s what made this decision tough.”
He added that he will make the trip from Tigers camp in Lakeland, Florida, to Miami to be with the team if the U.S. advances there for the semifinals and the finals.
He was asked if he was at peace with his decision.
“No, no, I’m still not,” he said. “I think the only way I’ll be at peace with it is in Miami celebrating after we win the whole (expletive) thing.”
Skubal added that he would love to pitch in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics if MLB players are allowed to participate and that he’ll be the first to sign up for the next WBC.
“I love America,” he said. “I love our country. I love everything that this tournament is about.”
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United States starting pitcher Tarik Skubal throws during the first inning of a World Baseball Classic game against Britain, Saturday, March 7, 2026, in Houston. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
