The six men on this list of tech writers most willing to be replaced by women
We asked. They offered.
Among the many things this tech boom has given rise to—thousands of bogus trend stories, stratospheric sexism, men with nonsense facial hair—is a new who’s-who-in-tech-journalism cottage industry, one that’s positioned itself as a more with-it, more analysis-driven analog to the hype-driven, status-obsessed, bros-and-their-uber-bros dominating the rest of the tech and media biz. It’s populated by a coterie of young men (yes, much unlike the people who work in the industry they cover and the consumers who drive it, they’re almost entirely men) who’ve become the Valley’s stand-in’s, list-dominators, and, often, men who work directly alongside women who write on the same subjects and then some (and, whom all of these men, when asked, would rather replace them on this list).
Matt Buchanan, @mattbuchanan
Age: 28
Platform: The New Yorker
Women to replace him: “There are so many options it’s hard to pick! I mean there’s Jenna Wortham or Nitasha Tiku or Kara Swisher or Adrianne Jeffries or Alexia Tsotsis or Laura June or Leslie Horn or Nicole Perloth or Xeni Jardin.”
John Herrman, @jwherrman
Age: 26
Platform: Buzzfeed
Women to replace him: “Plenty!”
“First, and feel free to exclude since she’s one of ours, Justine Sharrock. She’s not as visible on Twitter but she’s getting stories that nobody else in the tech press is anywhere near, and she’s deeply critical of SV. Great, deep reporting. Examples: ‘The Internet Explained By Prisoners Who Have Never Seen It,’ ‘How Many Retweets Is San Francisco’s Tax Break Worth?’”
“Nitasha Tiku: Adds deep, focused reporting to Valleywag. Scoops all the time: ‘Meet the 28-Year-Old CEO of Bang With Friends,’ ‘Uber CEO on Driver “Assault”: It’s Not Real and We’re Not Responsible’”
“Jenna Wortham: I mean, maybe the most vital person on NYT tech team. Best at trendspotting: ‘Instagram Video and the Death of Fantasy,’ ‘The Best Thing I Learned At SXSW Was From the Unabomber’”
“Jessica Roy: Hasn’t been on the scene too long but has been great at Betabeat: ‘Business Insider’s Sexist CTO Has Resigned, But He’s Still Everything That’s Wrong With Tech’”
Sam Biddle, @samfbiddle
Age: 26
Platform: Gawker’s Valleywag
Women to replace him: “Nitasha Tiku goes without saying, in my book. But I’ll say it anyway; I’m honored to work with her.”
“I don’t think Kate Losse or Maria Bustillos would describe themselves as ‘tech writers,’ but they’ve written two of my favorite things about technology this year (or ever, really): Maria’s ‘Are The Startup Fellas Hellbent On Destroying Education Even Literate?’ and Kate’s ‘Feminism’s Tipping Point: Who Wins from Leaning In?’”
Nick Bilton, @nickbilton
Age: 37
Platform: The New York Times
Women to replace him: “Jenna Wortham, no questions. She is smarter and way wittier than I am, and she somehow manages to cover the tech industry in such a unique way. It’s almost like she’s a seasoned anthropologist who can write about the migration of bees in relation to Jay-Z’s latest album. I love that she covers tech from a cultural standpoint, like her piece on Instagram becoming irrelevant, and her astute observations about selfies.”
Kevin Roose, @kevinroose
Age: 26
Platform: New York magazine
Women to replace him: “I would pick Jenna Wortham, Nitasha Tiku, and the Betabeat staff! In addition, Adrianne Jeffries, Evelyn Rusli, Alexia Tsotsis, and Leslie Horn.”
Alexis Madrigal, @alexismadrigal
Age: 31
Platform: The Atlantic
Women to replace him: “I’m just looking up from changing diapers and making pot roast — I’m out on paternity leave — but there are dozens of excellent tech writers I read and admire. (I mean, obviously.) But to single out some names off the top of my head before heading back into the baby bubble: Kara Swisher, Kim Zetter, Jenna Wortham, Virginia Heffernan, Claire Cain Miller, Laura June, Nitasha Tiku, Evelyn Rusli, and of course my own teammates Becca Rosen and Megan Garber.”
