Laurie Majewski, the executive editor of US magazine, doesn’t look a day over 30. I have to ask, how did she get the job? It’s been bugging me for a long time, grinding into my brain like a Craftsman drill. How does one become EXECUTIVE EDITOR of a popular magazine at such a young age? I’d like to think it’s nepotism, but I want to know the truth!
The truth is out there! 
There have been editors of science fiction magazine who were in their teens.
It all depends on what the executive editor does. Often, it’s a management role, and goes to someone with experience in sales. You may not be actually editing and choosing articles; you could only be hiring the people who do so.
Chuck you have been in the publishing biz, and you know that at a certain level you are not chosen by your skills as much as who you are. I mean, when Jackie O was chosen as an editor (who was it with, S&S?) with no experience or Candice Bergan was chosen as a photog with no experience, we all smirked, right? This is much the same.
The old saw still stands, “It ain’t what you know that counts. It’s who you know.”
To me, the most likely explanation is that she is simply a young-looking 40+.
God knows I’ve been around the block in publishing (and shortly will be again…hint hint you MADs…).
Chuck is right that editorial titles are slippery beyond belief. I’ve seen Exec Editors that simply wrote stories and I’ve seen the same title have full responsibility for development of each issue.
Even if this particular person is young you don’t know her experience and, remember, this is a consumer magazine specializing in human interest and glamour type images. They could make her look anywhere from 15 to 45 if they wanted to in publicity photos.
I don’t know anything about the editor in question, and don’t know her age. She may or may not be that young, and may or may not be the real top dog at US magazine.
But for the sake of argument, say she IS 30 or under. Is that so mind-blowing? In the media business (whether we’re talking about publishing, music, movies, TV, you name it), there’s a constant struggle to appeal to a younger and younger demographic. By the time someone reaches my age (I’m 41), he’s widely regarded as an undesirable reader/viewer by advertisers, and advertising is what makes the media profitable.
So, IF a major entertainment magazine (or a major record company or a major TV network) were to put a very young person in charge, it wouldn’t be surprising to me. That would just be the next “logical” step in the constant battle to attract youthful customers.