… It’s pretty easy, in lots of ways, to do better than other people… A lot of people think there’s some special sauce, there’s some magic or you have a particular skill… but I actually do think I just work harder than people. I just work; I just work harder, and I try harder and I’m more persistent
– Kara Swisher on The Tim Ferriss Show
“Kara Swisher (@karaswisher) has been called “Silicon Valley’s most feared and well-liked journalist” by New York Magazine. Here’s just one example: you can graph the impact on Yahoo’s stock price by various posts by Kara. That’s just the tip of the iceberg.
She attended Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service prior to changing course to journalism. It turns out many of the skills that would make a good spy are those that make a good journalist: developing sources, asking good questions, scenario planning, and much more. She forged her reputation at the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal, and now she spends the majority of her time as Executive Editor of Recode and the host of the Recode Decode podcast.
Over the last 11 years and alongside Walt Mossberg, she has also co-produced D: All Things Digital, a major high-tech conference with interviewees such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and many other leading players in the tech and media industries.”
Kara and Tim discuss: topics include:
- The art and craft of good questions
- Lessons learned and favorite moments from interviewing Steve Jobs
- What separates good from great journalists
- War stories, missed opportunities, and “optimistic pessimism”
To listen to the podcast in full:
- Listen to it on iTunes.
- Stream by clicking here.
- Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing “save as.”
Enjoy!
Scott