Jacob Weisberg, the chairman and editor in chief of the Slate Group,is leaving to start a new audio venture with author Malcolm Gladwell.

In recent years at Slate, Weisberg focused on how to make digital journalism sustainable while leading the online magazine into podcasting. It now offers 25 podcasts, including “Slate Political Gabfest,” which has been running for 13 years; “Trumpcast,” which is co-hosted by Weisberg; and “Slow Burn,” which received 11 million downloads in its Watergate-focused first season and has recently returned to delve into the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.

Julia Turner, the editor in chief of Slate, credited Weisberg for developing the publication’s distinctive voice, which she described as a “mix of rigor and playfulness.” Weisberg joined Slate as chief political correspondent in 1996, when Microsoft was its owner and Michael Kinsley was its founding editor. He took over as editor in chief in 2002 and steered Slate through a change of ownership in 2004, when The Washington Post Company bought it for an estimated $15 million.

In 2008, Weisberg became the chairman and editor in chief of the Slate Group, a digital publishing entity that is now part of Graham Holdings Company, as The Washington Post Company was renamed in 2013, after the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos bought the newspaper.The new audio venture, which doesn’t have a name yet, will be funded by Gladwell and Weisberg at the outset. It will focus on creating new podcasts, audiobooks and short-form audio content.