Justin Bieber’s infamous manager Scooter Braun retires from management (kinda)

Scooter Braun is one of the rare music industry managers who has become famous (or infamous) in his own right. First entering the cultural conversation by helping to launch Justin Bieber to superstardom, Braun has since leveraged his position by working with stars like Ariana Grande, Demi Lovato, and Kanye West to become the biggest name in the game (boosted by a major feud with Taylor Swift). But on Monday, Braun announced his retirement from managing artists. Instead, he’ll focus on being the CEO of Hybe America, a company that manages a lot of artists. It’s totally different!

“23 years. 23 years. That’s how long I have been a music manager. 23 years ago a 19 year old kid started managing an artist named Cato in Atlanta, GA and my journey began,” Braun said in a lengthy statement regarding his “retirement” (via Variety). “Along the way I have had so many experiences I could never have dreamt of. I have been blessed to have had a ‘Forrest Gump’-like life while witnessing and taking part in the journeys of some of the most extraordinarily talented people the world has ever seen. I’m constantly pinching myself and asking ‘how did I get here?’”

Braun said he’d been considering transitioning out of his hands-on role for a while, but decided to officially make the leap when “One of my biggest clients and friends told me that they wanted to spread their wings and go in a new direction.” (One presumes this is either Grande or Bieber.) “We had been through so much together over the last decade, but instead of being hurt I saw it as a sign. You see, life doesn’t hand you YOUR plan, it hands you GOD’s plan. And God has been pushing me in this direction for some time,” Braun proclaimed.

Last year, Swifties and other various Braun-haters were lining up with their schadenfreude popcorn to witness the manager’s downfall as clients began dropping like flies from his roster. There were competing stories about the mass exodus at the time; one was that Braun was an “asshole” who alienated his biggest stars, and the other was that Braun was just getting more involved with Hybe America and less involved with day-to-day artist management. Obviously, the latter tale has borne out with this announcement, and Grande has signaled she’s still cool with Braun by recently making a new deal with Hybe to collaborate on the business side. If there are any unsavory aspects of Braun’s history or business practices (besides the Taylor Swift of it all), they’re staying locked down for now as he enjoys his cushy CEO position.