Chris DeWolfe to Step Down as CEO of MySpace

Legendary Chris DeWolfe will be leaving his position as CEO at MySpace by a mutual agreement. He announced that he would not be renewing his contract and will be stepping down in the near future. Mr. DeWolfe will continue to serve on the board of MySpace China and will be a strategic advisor to the company.

The change comes at a time when MySpace revenue has been stagnant for a while and they have been loosing ground to Facebook. In addition to DeWolfe's departure, News Corporations own Chief Digital Officer Jonathan Miller will also be leaving the company. News Corporation is the parent company of MySpace.

"Chris and Tom are true pioneers and we greatly value the tremendous job theyve done in growing MySpace into what it is today", said Mr. Miller. "Thanks largely to their vision, MySpace has become a vibrant creative community with 130 million passionate followers worldwide. It is an enormously successful property and we look forward to building on its achievements with a new management structure well announce in the near future."

"In a little under six years weve grown MySpace from a small operation with seven people to a very profitable business with over 1,600 employees," said Mr. DeWolfe. "Its been one of the best experiences of my life and were proud of, and grateful to, the team of talented people who helped us along the way. We thank them, as well as the MySpace community for making our vision a reality."

"From the very beginning, our driving passion has been simple - to create and foster a platform where people across the globe can not only meet and interact, but share music, videos, thoughts and ideas," said Mr. Anderson. "I look forward to working with Jon. I love this business, and look forward to its next chapter. "

Below is an email that was leaked which Jon sent to all Fox employee's informing them of DeWolfe's departure:

To FIM Employees:

I am writing to share the news that MySpace CEO Chris DeWolfe will be stepping down from his executive role in the near future. He has agreed to serve as a strategic advisor to the Company and will remain on the board of MySpace China.

In addition, I am currently in discussions with MySpace President Tom Anderson regarding his role within the organization.

I want to take this opportunity to thank them both for their incredible contributions to the Company, and for pioneering one of the greatest social media revolutions of our time. I wish Chris nothing but the best in any new endeavors and, like many in this industry, am eager to witness his next innovations.

I understand the importance of having a dynamic, inspiring and innovative management team, and am dedicated to ensuring that MySpace continues to benefit from the highest levels of passion and enthusiasm.

I also want to thank everyone across FIM for giving me the opportunity to work with all of you. With MySpace, IGN, Photobucket, Fox Audience Network and our Digital Publishing Group, this is an exciting collective of properties and Im enthusiastic about the opportunities that lie ahead.

I hope to meet and work closely with many of you over the weeks and months to come.
Best regards,
Jonathan Miller