Laurene Powell Jobs
The Convener
The room, the network and the deal, brings the right people together.
Laurene Powell Jobs reads as The Convener because Emerson Collective is itself a convening architecture. She built it deliberately as a hybrid, part foundation, part LLC, part media investor, part advocacy platform, so it could gather immigration reformers, education innovators, journalists, and policymakers around shared purpose. Her acquisition of The Atlantic followed the same logic, aligning influential voices under a coherent mission. She assembles coalitions rather than commanding from above.
“I also wanted to use other methodologies for positive social change, like investing in entrepreneurs, seeding companies, and perhaps using advocacy and artists, and supporting movements and practices.”
“I never want to correct for that. I will happily go through hours and hours of people pitching me on ideas for that one gem.”
“I didn't ever want there to be the emphasis on me as a donor — the leaders and incredible workers doing day to day work to improve lives were actually in the front and we were in the back.”
The David Rubenstein Show: “Laurene Powell Jobs”
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