Randall Lane, Forbes' chief content officer, was fired last month after the publication discovered that he had received a $6 million payment from the founder of a firm that does business with the magazine. 

The money came from RJ Shoot, founder of Shook Research, which worked with Forbes since 2016 to publish rankings of wealth advisors, the New York Times reported. 

The payment was made after Shook sold a majority stake in Shook Research to PPC Private Enterprises, according to the New York Times, which cited unnamed sources. 

It isn't clear why Shook paid Lane, but one source told the Times that the payment was likely a gift in recognition of the advice he provided Shook over the years.