Warner Bros. Discovery announced that it intends to add Anton Levy, former head of global technology at private-equity firm General Atlantic, as an independent director to its board.
Levy’s appointment was the result of pressure from Sessa Capital, which has about a 1% stake in Warner Bros. Discovery, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing anonymous sources. Sessa has been pushing WBD to add new board members and move more quickly on restructuring the business to potentially spin off or sell its cable networks, per the report. (WBD and Sessa Capital reps did not respond to requests for comment.)
The announcement of Levy joining the board follows WBD’s appointments of two independent directors in January: SoFi CEO Anthony Noto and Joey Levin, chairman of Angi and former CEO of Barry Diller’s IAC.
Samuel Di Piazza Jr., chairman of the Warner Bros. Discovery board of directors, said in a statement that he “appreciate[s] the engagement we have had from shareholders, including helpful input from John Petry, managing member of Sessa Capital, as part of that process.”
Piazza said that Levy’s addition “is consistent with the commitment we announced in December [2024] to continue to enhance the board with industry experts with track records of value creation. We look forward to working with Anton as we continue to oversee the execution of Warner Bros. Discovery’s strategy to unlock value for shareholders.”
Levy is currently an Advisory Director at General Atlantic and previously served as General Atlantic’s Co-President and Chairman of Global Technology. Anton has significant investing experience and an exceptional track record of value creation, having led many of General Atlantic’s most notable investments in leading technology companies, such as Airbnb, Alibaba Group, Crowdstrike, Facebook, Klarna AB, Mercado Libre, Slack, Snapchat, Squarespace and Uber.
“We are making meaningful progress to achieve our vision for Warner Bros. Discovery and harness the power of our unique, world-class assets to drive profitable growth,” said David Zaslav, President and Chief Executive Officer of Warner Bros. Discovery. “We continue to move forward with urgency to improve performance and position our businesses for success over the near- and long-term amid the evolving industry landscape. We are confident that Anton will add valuable perspectives as we continue to take steps to drive long-term value for shareholders.”
For his service on the WBD board, Levy in 2025 will receive $240,000 in stock retainers and $105,000 in cash retainers, per the company’s current compensation program for non-employee directors, according to an SEC filing Monday from Warner Bros. Discovery.
Levy is currently an Advisory Director at General Atlantic, a leading global investor with more than $103 billion in assets under management. Mr. Levy began his career at General Atlantic in 1998 and has held a number of senior leadership roles, including serving as Co-President and Chairman of Global Technology until January 2025 and on the firm’s Investment, Portfolio and Executive Committees. He led many of General Atlantic’s most notable investments in technology companies, such Airbnb, Alibaba Group, Crowdstrike, Facebook, Klarna AB, Mercado Libre, Slack, Snapchat, Squarespace and Uber.
Levy received a B.S. from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia and an M.B.A. from the Columbia Business School.
