A new NYT publisher? Maybe soon.

Arthur Sulzberger Jr.’s time running The New York Times may be nearing an end.

On Monday, the NYT publisher gathered his staff for his annual “State of the Times” address, and during the talk he implied he is getting ready to retire.

“The task of choosing my successor has begun,” Sulzberger Jr. told his staff, according to a transcript that was sent out after word leaked to the media.

“”I’ve been in my role as publisher for more than 20 years and I’ve hit my mid-60s, so it [finding a successor] should come as no surprise,” he said.

Speculation about Sulzberger Jr.’s longevity has been building over the past year. New York magazine published a piece over the summer that named three likely successors to him – all from within The Times.

The Sulzberger family plans to remain involved in the paper, which they have owned for decades. Sulzberger Jr.’s father, Arthur Sulzberger Sr., held the publisher position until 1992.

Sulzberger Jr.’s own son, Arthur Gregg “A.G.” Sulzberger, is among the potential successors named by New York, along with two other members of the family: David Perpich, Sulzberger Jr.’s nephew, who oversaw the digital subscription launch; and Sam Dolnick, a Sulzberger cousin.

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