Time is one of the most recognizable magazine brands on the planet — a 101-year-old institution whose red border covers have framed the most important people and moments in modern history. But the story of who owns it today is one of the most interesting in all of American media — involving a Soviet-era publishing giant, a $6 billion media merger, a Salesforce billionaire, and a potential sale to a Greek media empire that has not yet been confirmed.
What Is Time Magazine?
Time is a biweekly American news magazine and media company that covers current events, politics, business, science, culture, and entertainment. Founded on March 3, 1923, by Henry Luce and Briton Hadden in New York City, it was the first weekly news magazine in the United States and became one of the most influential publications in the world.
Time is famous globally for its annual Person of the Year issue, its TIME100 list of the world’s most influential people, and its iconic red-border cover design. The current Editor-in-Chief of TIME is Sam Jacobs, as confirmed by the magazine’s own 2026 TIME100 Next announcement published in September 2026.
Who Owns Time Magazine in 2026?
Time is privately owned by Marc Benioff and Lynne Benioff — a married couple and joint personal investment. Marc Benioff is the co-founder and CEO of Salesforce, the cloud computing giant headquartered in San Francisco, California.
The Benioffs purchased Time on September 16, 2018, for $190 million in cash from Meredith Corporation — entirely as a personal family investment, completely separate from Salesforce.
Marc and Lynne Benioff serve as Co-Chairs of Time, while not being involved in the publication’s daily editorial or journalistic operations.
The operating entity that runs the magazine is called Time USA, LLC, which manages all of Time’s media activities, digital platforms, events, and licensing.
As of 2026, the Benioffs remain the confirmed owners. In November 2024, reports emerged that Marc Benioff was in early talks to sell Time to Greek media conglomerate Antenna Group for approximately $150 million — a discount from the original purchase price.
A Time spokesperson stated at the time: “There is no agreement to sell Time.” As of the date of this article, no sale has been confirmed and the Benioffs remain the owners.
Ownership and Key Stakeholders Table
| Owner / Party | Role | Stake | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marc Benioff | Co-Owner & Co-Chair | 50% personal family ownership | Salesforce co-founder & CEO; net worth ~$10.7 billion (Bloomberg 2026) |
| Lynne Benioff | Co-Owner & Co-Chair | 50% personal family ownership | Co-purchased Time personally alongside Marc in 2018 |
| Time USA, LLC | Operating Entity | 100% owned by the Benioffs | Manages all Time magazine operations, digital platforms, and events |
| Sam Jacobs | Editor-in-Chief | Editorial leadership role | Current editor confirmed via Time’s own September 2026 publication |
| Edward Felsenthal | Former Editor-in-Chief & CEO | Exited | Led Time under Benioff from 2018; served as CEO of the brand |
| Antenna Group | Potential Buyer (unconfirmed) | No stake confirmed | Greek media conglomerate; in early talks as of November 2024; no deal closed |
| Meredith Corporation | Previous Owner | Fully exited September 2018 | Sold Time to Benioffs for $190M; had owned it for less than one year |
| Time Inc. / Time Warner | Historical Owner | Fully exited | Original corporate parent for decades before Meredith acquisition |
The Full Ownership History: 100 Years of Who Was in Charge
Time was founded on March 3, 1923 by Henry Luce and Briton Hadden — two young journalists in their mid-twenties who raised $86,000 from friends and family to launch what would become America’s first weekly news magazine.
Hadden died young in 1929, and Luce went on to build Time Inc. into one of the most powerful media empires in history, adding Fortune, Life, Sports Illustrated, and eventually CNN to the portfolio.
Time Inc. remained a largely independent media company for most of the 20th century. In 1989, it merged with Warner Communications to form Time Warner — one of the largest media conglomerates in the world. Time Warner then merged with AOL in 2000 in what became the most famous failed corporate merger in American history, losing approximately $200 billion in value. Time Inc. was eventually spun off as an independent public company in 2014.
In 2018, Meredith Corporation — a large Des Moines, Iowa-based media company — acquired all of Time Inc. for nearly $2 billion, backed by a $650 million investment from the conservative Koch brothers.
But Meredith had no interest in Time specifically — it wanted Time Inc.’s women’s lifestyle titles like People, InStyle, and Better Homes & Gardens. Time, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated were put up for sale almost immediately.
Marc Benioff and Lynne Benioff moved quickly. On September 16, 2018, they purchased Time for $190 million in cash — personally, not through Salesforce — and pledged to protect its editorial independence.
Marc and Lynne Benioff: The People Behind the Purchase
Marc Russell Benioff was born on September 25, 1964 in San Francisco, California. He worked at Oracle before founding Salesforce in 1999 — one of the earliest and most successful cloud computing companies in the world. Salesforce is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker CRM and generated over $37 billion in annual revenue in FY2025.
When the Benioffs bought Time in 2018, they were explicit about their intentions. Marc Benioff told the Wall Street Journal: “We’re investing in a company with tremendous impact on the world, one that is also an incredibly strong business.”
He also made clear that he and Lynne would not be involved in Time’s editorial or journalistic decisions — a commitment the couple has maintained throughout their ownership.
Lynne Benioff is a prominent philanthropist and co-author of “Trailblazer” with her husband. She is deeply involved in Time’s strategic direction and sits alongside Marc as Co-Chair of the company. This is a genuine joint family investment — not a vanity purchase by one person.
The Antenna Group Sale Talks: What We Know
In November 2024, multiple credible media outlets reported that Marc Benioff had entered early discussions to sell Time to Antenna Group — a Greek media conglomerate owned by the Kyriakou family — for approximately $150 million, a $40 million loss on the original purchase price.
Antenna Group is a major international media company that, as of March 2026, has 100% control of GEDI Gruppo Editoriale in Italy — including the newspaper La Repubblica, radio brands Radio Deejay and Radio Capital, HuffPost Italia, and National Geographic Italia. It is clearly an organization with ambitions to build a global media portfolio.
However, Time’s spokesperson stated clearly: “There is no agreement to sell Time.” As of October 2026, no sale has been officially confirmed, and Marc and Lynne Benioff remain the current owners of Time.
Time Under Benioff: What Changed
Under the Benioffs, Time has diversified significantly beyond its print roots. The magazine expanded its lucrative live events business — from 10 events in 2022 to 18 in 2024 — driving a 55% boost in annual revenue from that segment alone. The TIME100 brand has become a major global franchise, with TIME100 Summit events held in New York, and international editions celebrating leaders across health, technology, business, and culture.
Time currently reaches a massive global audience across its digital and print platforms, with digital subscriptions forming an increasingly important part of its revenue model. The publication celebrated its 101st anniversary in 2024, making it one of the longest-running news brands in American history.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. Who owns Time Magazine in 2026?
Time is personally owned by Marc Benioff and Lynne Benioff, who purchased it for $190 million in September 2018 as a private family investment separate from Salesforce.
Q2. Who founded Time Magazine?
Time was founded on March 3, 1923 by Henry Luce and Briton Hadden in New York City — making it the first weekly news magazine in the United States.
Q3. How much did Marc Benioff pay for Time Magazine?
Marc and Lynne Benioff paid $190 million in cash to acquire Time from Meredith Corporation on September 16, 2018.
Q4. Is Time being sold to Antenna Group?
Early talks were reported in November 2024 with Antenna Group around a price of $150 million, but Time confirmed “there is no agreement to sell Time” — and no confirmed deal exists as of October 2026.
Q5. Who is the current editor of Time Magazine in 2026?
Sam Jacobs is the current Editor-in-Chief of Time, as confirmed by the magazine’s own September 2026 TIME100 Next publication.
Q6. Is Marc Benioff involved in Time’s editorial decisions?
No. Marc and Lynne Benioff pledged not to be involved in Time’s day-to-day editorial or journalistic operations when they acquired it — a policy they have maintained throughout their ownership.
Q7. Who owned Time Magazine before Marc Benioff?
Meredith Corporation owned Time for less than a year before selling it to the Benioffs in 2018. Before that, Time Inc. operated as a public company (spun off from Time Warner in 2014).
Q8. Is Time Magazine publicly traded?
No. Time is a 100% privately held company, owned personally by Marc and Lynne Benioff through Time USA, LLC, with no public stock listing.
Time magazine is privately owned by Marc Benioff and Lynne Benioff, who purchased it on September 16, 2018 for $190 million from Meredith Corporation. It operates through Time USA, LLC and is currently led editorially by Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs. The Benioffs own it as a personal family investment, completely separate from Salesforce.
Talks about a potential sale to Antenna Group for approximately $150 million emerged in November 2024 but have not resulted in any confirmed deal as of October 2026. Until a transaction closes and is officially announced, Marc and Lynne Benioff remain the confirmed owners of one of the most iconic media brands in the world.