9 things Kara Swisher taught me about tech journalism

“Tech’s most powerful snoop” – Kara Swisher. Photo credit: Loic Le Meur.

If anyone knows how to navigate the slippery slope that is the founder-journalist relationship, it’s Kara Swisher.

Veteran journalist, co-founder of All Things D and Recode, also known as “tech’s most powerful snoop,” – she’s both liked and feared in tech founder circles.

Her writing always bites, and she has a hilarious, persistent way of asking tough questions.

In a recent interview for NYMag Kara shared some of the wisdom she accumulated over the years, in her usual no-fucks-given way.

Here are a few things I took away.

1. Tech journos have an easy beat

“Like you’re covering Edison or Ford.” Or Nikola Tesla in his lab. Photo credit: Wikipedia.

First off, tech journos, let’s admit we’re blessed with an exciting, future-defining beat.

“It’s easy to write about [a] shiny new object,” Kara notes. But it’s not just gimmicky. “It’s clear that some of this stuff is really going to change the world. It’s not like when Kellogg’s comes out with a new Pop-Tart.”

True. Innovation happens under our noses and journalists are invited to watch founders do the heavy lifting. “It’s like you were covering Edison or Ford,” Kara says. Except that it’s Musk, and he’s building spaceships to land on Mars.

2. Tech founders think they’re good

“Unlike, say, a banker who sort of knows they’re […] sketchy, people in Silicon Valley really think of themselves as world-changing, good people,” Kara says.

Ok, there may be a slight exaggeration, but it’s mostly true. This is not just in the Valley. To Asian tech entrepreneurs, building massive companies is not enough, they also want to “empower”, create equal opportunities, reduce poverty, and change the world.

As tech journos, we have to respect that, but also probe how steadfast a company’s “do-good” narrative really is.

3. Tech people are sensitive to criticism

4. Failure is success – unless it isn’t

5. The danger of simplistic narratives

6. Beware of CEO porn

7. How to ask tough questions

8. Test the product

9. Journalists are not immune to business concerns