Kara Swisher is a badass. She’s followed the Internet as a journalist, before it was cool, and today runs All Things D, a major tech blog owned by the Wall Street Journal (technically Dow Jones & Company).
Last night, Jazon Nazar interviewed her at Startup Uncensored. I don’t know if I laughed or learned more.
As a college journalist, she talked shit to the Washington Post for making a mistake. That lead to her getting a job a job there as the Georgetown correspondent.
She ignored people who weren’t “getting it”, and found the people who believed in the same thing she believed in, the power of the internet.
She has journalistic integrity, in the older sense of the word. While many tech blogs write what they hear and update info as it comes in, she is adamant to only post news she has confirmed is true. She only covers news that she believes is relevant to the industry, not every feature change and fundraising story. When she interviews people on stage at the All Things D conference, she asks tough questions, not be mean, but to bring out the “real” person.
It was great to hear her talk about the interview she did with Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, which she recalled as the obnoxious kid picking a fight with the nerdy kid in school. She talked about how much sweat she saw running down Mark Zuckerberg’s back when he got real nervous on stage. She helped Meg Whitman with her decision to join eBay, and covered Google’s first funding story.
I’ve watched many interview videos online, but there’s something different about sitting in a room as it happens. You’re attention is full, you are completely engaged, and without realizing, you’re taking in subtle nuances that you could never notice on an online video. Walking away from the event last night, I had a newfound respect for the small team at All Things D, and their integrity as a news source (both in facts and content).”
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