Kara Simons

Kara Swisher is an American journalist renowned for her in-depth reporting on the internet industry, beginning her coverage in 1994. Throughout her career, she has held significant roles at major publications and media organizations. She co-founded Recode with Walt Mossberg, which was later acquired by Vox Media. Swisher also worked as an opinion writer for The New York Times and has hosted several popular podcasts, including 'On with Kara Swisher' and 'Pivot'.

Her early life included a childhood interest in intelligence work, and she pursued journalism education at Georgetown University and Columbia University. Swisher's career path has included reporting for The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, where she established herself as a prominent voice in tech journalism. She has authored books detailing the rise of companies like AOL and has continued to be a leading commentator on the intersection of technology, business, and society.

Born in 1962, Kara Swisher spent her formative years in New Jersey after her father's passing. Her childhood aspirations leaned towards military intelligence or the CIA. She pursued higher education at Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service, contributing to student publications like The Hoya and The Georgetown Voice. During her time at Georgetown, internships at The Washington Post solidified her interest in journalism. She further honed her skills at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, earning a Master of Science degree. Swisher also dedicated time to studying misinformation and propaganda at Duke University, an area that deeply interested her.

Swisher's journalistic career took flight after graduation at the Washington City Paper. She later returned to The Washington Post, initially as a news aide before becoming a reporter covering the local retail sector. It was during this period that she began extensively utilizing technology in her reporting, famously carrying a large mobile phone. She gained national recognition for her coverage of America Online (AOL) and the nascent dot-com era in the 1990s. This work led her to write a book about AOL's rise. Her association with tech journalism deepened when she joined The Wall Street Journal in 1997, launching the 'Boom Town' column focused on Silicon Valley culture and business. Alongside colleague Walt Mossberg, she co-founded the influential 'All Things Digital' conference and its accompanying blog, interviewing key figures in the tech industry.

In 2014, Swisher and Walt Mossberg launched Recode, an independent technology news website, which was acquired by Vox Media in 2015. Following the acquisition, she continued to be a prominent voice within Vox Media, hosting the podcast 'Recode Decode' and co-hosting the news commentary podcast 'Pivot' with Scott Galloway. Her tenure extended to The New York Times, where she served as an opinion writer from 2018 to 2022, contributing analysis on the technology industry. During this period, she also hosted the podcast 'Sway'. In September 2022, Swisher returned to Vox Media as an editor-at-large for New York Magazine and began hosting her podcast 'On with Kara Swisher'.

Kara Swisher has authored several books that delve into the dynamics of the technology world. Her early works include 'aol.com: How Steve Case Beat Bill Gates, Nailed the Netheads, and Made Millions in the War for the Web' (1999) and 'There Must Be a Pony in Here Somewhere: The AOL Time Warner Debacle and the Quest for a Digital Future' (2003). In 2024, she released her memoir, 'Burn Book: A Tech Love Story'. Swisher is also known for her outspoken public commentary, including a controversial remark regarding a Gillette advertisement in 2019, for which she later apologized. She has also hosted companion podcasts for HBO's 'Succession' and has been recognized for her significant contributions to journalism.

“I always call them papier-mâché–they just wilt.”

“I'm so glad he's dead. Seriously, I'm glad he's dead. He was a jackass. He deserved it.”

“... to all you aggrieved folks who thought this Gillette ad was too much bad-men-shaming, after we just saw it come to life with those awful kids and their fetid smirking harassing that elderly man on the Mall: Go __ yourselves.”