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Comcast Answered—and Created—a Succession Question

The ostensibly orderly elevation of Mike Cavanagh to co-C.E.O. alongside Brian Roberts obscures a slightly more complex situation one level down on the org chart, at NBCUniversal, which has been without a clear leader since 2023.

brian roberts donna langley Mike Cavanagh
When Comcast announced in September that Mike Cavanagh, right, was being promoted from president to co-C.E.O.—the first person in the company’s history who wasn’t a member of the Roberts family to hold even part of that title—it appeared that the succession question had been managed early and elegantly, but Cavanagh’s ascension has highlighted a confusing situation one level below him on the org chart. Photo: Gerardo Mora/Getty Images for Universal Orlando Resort
Kim Masters
October 21, 2025

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When Comcast announced in September that Mike Cavanagh was being promoted from president to co-C.E.O.—the first person in the company’s history who wasn’t a member of the Roberts family to hold even part of that title—it appeared that the succession question had been managed early and elegantly. No one expects C.E.O. Brian Roberts, who is only 66, to hang it up anytime soon, but the leadership dramas at Disney and Paramount have starkly illuminated that orderly planning is never a bad idea.