Gerhard Zeiler Officially Exits Skydance To Follow Political Ambitions, Telling Staff In Emotional Missive: “Sometimes We Simply Asked Too Much”

Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) international chief Gerhard Zeiler has made his exit official. Following the $110B Skydance deal closing Tuesday, it quickly emerged that Zeiler would likely be leaving in order to realize political ambitions in his native Austria. Today, in an emotional missive obtained by Deadline, Zeiler said his goodbyes to the international team, beginning: “I have started writing this message several times, and each time I stopped. Perhaps because after so many years, it is surprisingly difficult to find the right words to say goodbye.” He celebrated his employees who he said over the past few years, which incorporated two different mergers, had sometimes been victims of being “simply asked too much.” Watch on Deadline “We asked you to protect and manage our linear businesses and make them as efficient and successful as possible—even as the entire industry was moving in a different direction,” wrote Zeiler. “At the same time, we asked you to build and strengthen our streaming business and to embrace a future that none of us could completely predict. We asked you to sell our content successfully to third parties, even while we were increasingly using that same content to build our own platforms.” He added: “Sometimes the priorities competed with one another. Sometimes the strategy changed. Sometimes decisions taken today looked different six months later because the world around us had changed again. And sometimes, I know, we simply asked too much.” Zeiler signed off by saying it had been one of the “greatest privileges of my professional life to work alongside you.” He was one of the true survivors of the various incarnations of Warner Bros over the past 14 years, having joined from RTL Group and remained at the top of international tree throughout. It was initally thought that Zeiler may compete for a top Skydance international job with Kevin MacLellan, but MacLellan’s exit is also confirmed and Zeiler is now expected to take up a key role in Austrian politics that may eventually end up leading to him becoming Chancellor. JB Perrette, one of David Ellison’s key lieutenants in the newly-merged entity, has had his role expanded to incorporate global streaming and networks, while David Decker is overseeing content sales, but many questions remain over the shape of Skydance international, questions that may be answered over the coming days at MIPCOM. Zeiler’s note in full Dear All,I have started writing this message several times, and each time I stopped.Perhaps because after so many years, it is surprisingly difficult to find the right words to say goodbye. At the end of next week, I will leave the company. Some of you, I have known for four years. With many of you, I have worked for seven years. And with some of you, I have shared almost fifteen years of my professional life.Fifteen years.When I think about everything that has happened during those years—in our company, in our industry, in the world, and in our own lives—I realize just how much we have experienced together. And that is why this is not simply the end of a job for me.I want you to know how profoundly grateful I am.I have spent much of my professional life in leadership positions, and I have learned one thing above all: titles matter much less than people think.What matters are the people around you.Their character. Their commitment. Their courage. Their willingness to take responsibility. And their willingness to stand together when things get difficult.And this is what has made all of you so special to me.Your integrity. Your work ethic. And your solidarity.There were many years when we asked an extraordinary amount of you.We asked you to protect and manage our linear businesses and make them as efficient and successful as possible—even as the entire industry was moving in a different direction.At the same time, we asked you to build and strengthen our streaming business and to embrace a future that none of us could completely predict.We asked you to sell our content successfully to third parties, even while we were increasingly using that same content to build our own platforms.We asked you to help our Theatrical colleagues grow their international businesses and to support Consumer Products in bringing our extraordinary franchises and characters to consumers around the world.And often we asked you to do all of these things at the same time.Sometimes the priorities competed with one another. Sometimes the strategy changed. Sometimes decisions taken today looked different six months later because the world around us had changed again.And sometimes, I know, we simply asked too much.But you kept going. You adapted. You found solutions. You supported one another.And you delivered. Again and again and again.I will never forget it.As leaders, we often thank people for their performance. We thank them for delivering a budget, launching a product, growing a business or completing a transformation.Today I want to thank you for something more important.I want to thank you for the way you behaved when things were difficult.Success is easy to share when everything is going well. Character shows itself when it isn’t. And the last four years were anything but easy years.I saw integrity. I saw decency. I saw loyalty—not blind loyalty to a company or to a leader, but loyalty to colleagues and to the teams around you. And I saw solidarity.For me, that matters more than any financial result we ever delivered.There are many things I will remember.I will remember all of you I met in São Paulo, Buenos Aires, Santiago and Mexico City; in London, Paris, Madrid, Milan, Munich, Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen and Warsaw; across the Middle East and Central Eastern Europe; in Singapore, Tokyo and throughout Asia; in New York, Los Angeles and so many other places.The conversations in offices. The dinners after long days. The calls very early in the morning and very late at night. The airport lounges. The difficult meetings. The moments when we knew something had gone wrong—and the wonderful moments when we knew we had achieved something special together.Those are the things I will remember.Not the PowerPoints. Not the budgets. Not the organization charts.What I will remember is YOUThere are thousands of you receiving this message, and I wish I could thank every single one of you personally.Because whatever we achieved, we achieved together.Leadership is not about having all the answers. It is about surrounding yourself with people who are better than you at many things, trusting them, challenging them, listening to them—and then trying to create an environment in which they can succeed.You made me a better leader. You also made me a better listener. And, on more than a few occasions, you made me change my mind.Now it is time for me to leave.And while I am excited about the next chapter of my life, I would be lying if I said leaving you was easy.It isn’t.I will miss you.It has been one of the greatest privileges of my professional life to work alongside you.From the bottom of my heart, thank you.YoursGerhard