James Murdoch’s News Corp Exit Leaves Brother Lachlan as Last Man Standing

With James Murdoch severing the final ties with the family’s media empire, his brother Lachlan — a prodigal son of sorts — is left as the last and most likely successor to their billionaire father Rupert Murdoch.

When James announced on Friday that he was leaving the News Corp. board — after clashing over the company’s editorial direction — it was just the latest step in distancing himself from the sprawling Murdoch operations.

The 47-year-old, who’d once seemed most likely to take over for 89-year-old Rupert as the head of the family business, is now focused on building his own collection of media and technology assets. And he’s increasingly willing to speak his mind about how the family’s companies, News Corp. and Fox Corp., are managed.

The split punctuated something that’s become more and more clear for several years: Lachlan, 48, is poised to take the reins when the time comes. For a family that inspired the hit HBO show, “Succession,” the final season appears underway. Bloomberg Quint