The embattled digital media firm Ozy misplaced one in every of its greatest stars on Wednesday, when Katty Kay, a former BBC anchor, introduced on Twitter that she had resigned.
Ms. Kay stated in her post that she had handed in her resignation Tuesday morning.
“I had just lately joined the corporate after my lengthy profession on the BBC, excited to discover alternatives within the digital area,” she wrote. “I assist the mission to carry various tales and voices to the general public dialog. However the allegations in The New York Occasions, which caught me be shock, are severe and deeply troubling and I had no alternative however to finish my relationship with the corporate.”
Final 12 months, whereas on the BBC, Ms. Kay began internet hosting a podcast, “When Katty Met Carlos,” with Ozy’s co-founder and chief govt, Carlos Watson. She joined Ozy over the summer time, together with her final broadcast for BBC after almost three a long time there going down on June 24. “It’s been a privilege to sit down on this chair,” she informed viewers, “and I’ll miss your organization.”
Ms. Kay’s announcement that she was leaving Ozy got here a day after the corporate’s board stated it had initiated an investigation following a New York Occasions report that raised questions on its enterprise practices.
Based in 2013, Ozy has a normal curiosity information website, publishes newsletters and produces interview packages and documentaries, a few of which seem on YouTube.
The Occasions reported on Sunday that an Ozy govt had apparently impersonated a YouTube govt throughout a convention name with Goldman Sachs in February, when the financial institution was contemplating an funding of $40 million within the firm.
Through the name, the individual stated that Ozy’s movies had been an amazing success on YouTube. As he spoke, his voice sounded unusual to folks on the Goldman Sachs crew, as if it had been digitally altered, and the financial institution ended up not going by with the potential deal.
Mr. Watson stated in an e mail to The Occasions final week that the individual was Samir Rao, Ozy’s co-founder and chief working officer. He attributed the episode to a psychological well being disaster and stated that Mr. Rao had taken a while off after the convention name however had since returned to the corporate, which is predicated in Mountain View, Calif. “I’m proud that we stood by him whereas he struggled, and we’re all glad to see him now thriving once more,” Mr. Watson stated.
The Occasions report additionally raised questions on claims Ozy had made about how many individuals visited its web site and watched its on-line movies.
On Tuesday, Ozy’s board introduced that it had employed a regulation agency to analyze the corporate’s “enterprise actions” and its management crew. In its assertion, the board added that it had requested Mr. Rao to take a depart of absence “pending the outcomes of the investigation.”
Additionally on Tuesday, Mr. Watson pulled out of his scheduled look because the host of an Emmys ceremony on Wednesday night time honoring documentary filmmakers, a part of the forty second Information and Documentary Emmy Awards. An Emmys spokesperson stated in a press release that Mr. Watson “graciously reached out to us and requested to be faraway from his internet hosting duties tomorrow night time in order to not distract the main focus from the proficient nominees within the documentary classes.”
And Ozy Fest, a music and concepts pageant run by the corporate that was scheduled to happen Oct. 16 and Oct. 17 in Miami, has been canceled, in accordance with an individual with information of the matter.
It is a breaking information story. Examine again for updates.