Media Mogul John Malone Has A Few Regrets

John Malone

At the Paley Media Council event on the next era of media in Manhattan Thursday, Media Mogul Malone expressed regret over the $43 billion WarnerMedia-Discovery merger, which he helped orchestrate in 2022. As a major Discovery shareholder, he backed the deal that formed Warner Bros. Discovery under CEO David Zaslav. However, Malone noted that Discovery did not have a complete financial picture of WarnerMedia before closing, which complicated the merger’s execution.

He highlighted the challenges both companies faced with the rise of streaming services like Netflix, stating, “We knew Discovery had limited life expectancy as a linear service.” Despite the heavy debt load post-merger (with $18 billion paid down by 2024), Malone remains optimistic about Warner Bros. Discovery’s global growth potential, leveraging its extensive content library.

Malone’s influence extends beyond deals. He has expressed concerns about Big Tech’s dominance, describing companies like Amazon, Google, and Apple as “almost monopolies” due to their financial power and ability to outbid traditional media for sports rights, threatening local broadcast television. He has criticized the lack of collaboration among cable and entertainment leaders in countering streaming challenges from Netflix. 

Malone also reflected on the societal impact of his contributions, questioning whether the world is better off after the media fragmentation he helped enable, though he attributes much of the current polarization to political leadership rather than the media industry alone.

In his memoir released this week, Malone candidly discusses building his empire while living with autism, emphasizing the importance of relationships over deals. He regrets not spending more time with his children and the TCI sale to AT&T, which he later viewed as a misstep. 

A private individual who avoids the spotlight, Malone prefers strategic advising over public appearances, famously stating he’d “pay a lot of money to avoid a cocktail party.”

Malone is currentyly chairman of Liberty Media, Liberty Global, Liberty Broadband, and GCI Liberty, and chair emeritus of Warner Bros. Discovery, having stepped down from its board in June 2025. 

His strategic maneuvers, like the proposed Charter-Cox merger, continue to shape the industry. Malone’s legacy is one of vision, unconventional leadership, and a knack for anticipating industry shifts, making him a towering figure in media and telecommunications.