Resisting the Worst of the Web Is Not Futile
Tech moguls may be more powerful — and unholy — than ever, but consumers don’t have to be complacent.
By Kara Swisher
Kara Swisher was the host of “Sway,” an interview podcast about power by New York Times Opinion. She was a contributing Opinion writer from 2018 to 2022.
Over her career, Ms. Swisher has hosted hundreds of newsmaking interviews, going head-to-head with prominent figures including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Rupert Murdoch, Stacey Abrams, Kim Kardashian and President Barack Obama. Her early and no-holds-barred coverage of the technology industry earned her a reputation as “Silicon Valley’s most feared and well-liked journalist.”
Ms. Swisher studied at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, where she wrote her first technology story for the school paper (it was in 1980 — and the technology was pay phones). She subsequently received a graduate degree from Columbia University’s School of Journalism, became an editor at The City Paper in Washington, D.C., and interned at The Washington Post, where she worked her way up to reporter and covered nascent digital companies like AOL.
Ms. Swisher worked in the San Francisco bureau of The Wall Street Journal in the 1990s as one of the first reporters on the internet beat and eventually began her popular "Boom Town" column. With her longtime collaborator Walt Mossberg, she was a co-producer of the technology conference "D: All Things Digital," where they interviewed major tech figures including Steve Jobs and Bill Gates. The duo later founded Recode, which was sold to Vox in 2015.
Ms. Swisher is also co-host of the “Pivot” podcast and executive producer of the Code Conference. She is the author of "aol.com: How Steve Case Beat Bill Gates, Nailed the Netheads and Made Millions in the War for the Web," co-author of the sequel, "There Must Be a Pony in Here Somewhere," and currently writing a memoir. She has previously appeared and consulted on "Silicon Valley," a show by HBO, which is now a part of WarnerMedia, and also hosted a companion podcast for season three of HBO’s "Succession."
She lives in Washington with her wife, children, and various cats and dogs.
Tech moguls may be more powerful — and unholy — than ever, but consumers don’t have to be complacent.
By Kara Swisher
Digital currency’s hype men try to flip the script as Terra, Bitcoin and others fall off a cliff.
By Kara Swisher
Though grisly, showing what rifles do to people is a chance to finally shift the gun debate.
By Kara Swisher
The Meta C.O.O. leaves a legacy of stunning financial success — and a company still in denial about its toxic impact.
By Kara Swisher
Online hoax allegations are an insult to family members and should be taken down.
By Kara Swisher
The billionaire’s increasingly erratic behavior on Twitter distracts from the terrible math behind his bid to buy it.
By Kara Swisher
The growth-at-any-cost mantra meets reality as technology company valuations bottom out.
By Kara Swisher
Twitter’s would-be owner brings a slew of financiers into the fold — and a wide range of views.
By Kara Swisher
The newest social media honcho will face a bevy of business challenges at Twitter.
By Kara Swisher
The rocket man shored up $46.5 billion for his Twitter bid, pushing the drama toward its third week.
By Kara Swisher