Kara Swisher

Kara Swisher
Swisher at South by Southwest, 2019
Kara Swisher
Born	11 12, 1962
Birthplace	United States
Nationality	American
Occupation	Journalist, podcast host, author
Known for	Co-founding Recode, All Things Digital, On with Kara Swisher podcast, Pivot podcast
Education	Georgetown University (BS) Columbia University (MS)
Spouse(s)	Template:Plainlist
Awards	Gerald Loeb Award

Kara Anne Swisher (born December 11, 1962) is an American journalist, podcast host, and author who has covered the technology industry and the business of the internet since 1994. Over the course of more than three decades, she has established herself as one of the most prominent chroniclers of Silicon Valley, known for her direct interviewing style and willingness to challenge the chief executives and founders who shape the digital economy. Swisher co-founded Recode, a technology news website under Vox Media, with Walt Mossberg in 2014, and previously co-produced the influential All Things Digital conference and online publication All Things D while at The Wall Street Journal. She has written for The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The New York Times, where she served as an opinion writer from 2018 to 2022. As of the mid-2020s, Swisher hosts the podcast On with Kara Swisher and co-hosts the podcast Pivot, and serves as a CNN contributor. In 2026, CNN announced a new original series titled Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever.

Early Life

Kara Anne Swisher was born on December 11, 1962, in the United States. Details regarding her upbringing and family background have been discussed in various profiles and interviews over the years. In a 2018 interview on The Tim Ferriss Show, Swisher discussed aspects of her personal history and the formative experiences that shaped her career in journalism.

Swisher developed an interest in journalism and media at a relatively early age. She would go on to pursue that interest through formal education and early career positions that placed her at the intersection of media and emerging technology during a period of rapid change in both fields.

Education

Swisher attended Georgetown University, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree. She subsequently enrolled at Columbia University, where she earned a Master of Science degree. Her time at Georgetown included engagement with the university's journalism community; she later returned to the campus as a speaker, participating in events at the school alongside discussions about the future of internet journalism.

Columbia University has recognized Swisher as a notable alumna through its entrepreneurship and media programs, acknowledging her contributions to technology journalism and her role in shaping public discourse about the digital economy.

Career

Early Journalism Career

Swisher began covering the business of the internet in 1994, a period when the World Wide Web was still in its commercial infancy and mainstream media outlets were only beginning to recognize the significance of the emerging digital economy. She wrote for The Washington Post during this period, establishing a beat that would define the trajectory of her career.

She subsequently joined The Wall Street Journal, where she became one of the publication's foremost reporters on technology and the internet. Her reporting during the dot-com bubble and its aftermath in the late 1990s and early 2000s positioned her as a leading voice in technology journalism. During her tenure at the Journal, Swisher authored at least one book exploring the rise and challenges of internet companies, which was reviewed in publications at the time.

All Things Digital

While still affiliated with The Wall Street Journal, Swisher co-produced the All Things Digital conference (commonly known as D or ATD) alongside longtime collaborator Walt Mossberg. The conference became one of the most prominent annual gatherings in the technology industry, attracting top executives from companies including Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Facebook for on-stage interviews that were often notable for their candor. The accompanying online publication, All Things D, provided daily coverage of the technology industry and became a significant digital media property.

The All Things Digital brand was closely associated with both Swisher's and Mossberg's reputations for asking pointed questions and pressing technology leaders on issues of accountability, privacy, and business strategy. The conference format—typically featuring one-on-one or small-panel interviews in front of a live audience—allowed Swisher and Mossberg to engage executives in a manner that differed from traditional press conferences or keynote addresses.

Co-founding Recode

In January 2014, Swisher and Mossberg departed The Wall Street Journal to launch Recode, an independent technology news and media website. The launch was announced at the start of the year and represented an effort to build on the editorial approach they had developed at All Things Digital. Recode covered the technology industry with a focus on commerce, media, and the people and companies shaping the digital landscape. The site also hosted the annual Code Conference, a continuation of the All Things Digital conference tradition.

Recode became part of Vox Media in 2015, integrating into Vox Media's portfolio of digital media brands. Under the Vox Media umbrella, Swisher continued to host the Code Conference and expanded her work into podcasting, including the Recode Decode podcast, where she conducted long-form interviews with technology executives, politicians, and cultural figures.

A 2014 profile in New York Magazine described Swisher as "Silicon Valley's most powerful snoop," highlighting her extensive network of sources and her reputation for breaking stories about the internal workings of technology companies.

The New York Times

From 2018 to 2022, Swisher served as an opinion writer for The New York Times, where she wrote a regular column addressing technology, media, and politics. Her columns frequently examined the power and influence of major technology companies, the responsibilities of their leaders, and the societal implications of digital platforms. In a 2019 column, Swisher wrote about the media's handling of viral stories, contributing to a broader conversation about news coverage in the social media age.

During this period, Swisher also wrote a personal essay for the Times in 2019, reflecting on the health consequences of stroke and drawing on her own medical experience from 2011, when she suffered a mini-stroke.

After departing the Times in 2022, Swisher re-joined Vox Media and continued her work as a contributing editor at New York Magazine.

Podcasting and Media Work

Swisher has become one of the most prominent voices in podcast media, hosting On with Kara Swisher and co-hosting Pivot, both of which are produced under Vox Media. The podcasts cover technology, business, and politics, and feature interviews with figures across industries. On with Kara Swisher has featured guests including former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, who appeared on the show in 2025 for a discussion about the state of American democracy. The podcast has also featured interviews with business leaders such as Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe.

A November 2025 profile in Wired described Swisher as "the epitome of a multi-hyphenate: a podcast host, journalist, author, and CEO agitator," noting that she has covered Silicon Valley for over thirty years.

In January 2026, a Bloomberg interview featured Swisher discussing what she described as the technology industry's political realignment under the Trump administration, the economics of artificial intelligence, and upcoming initial public offerings.

CNN Contributor and Television

As of the mid-2020s, Swisher serves as a contributor to CNN, providing commentary on technology, media, and politics. In February 2026, she appeared on CNN to discuss Mark Zuckerberg's testimony in a landmark social media addiction trial, stating that Zuckerberg was "pushing down his responsibility" regarding the platforms' effects on children.

In January 2026, CNN announced a new original series titled Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever, featuring Swisher as the central figure. The series was described as exploring themes related to longevity and technology.

Swisher has also been a vocal commentator on political media, including criticizing President Donald Trump in her capacity as a CNN contributor. In early 2026, she responded publicly to Trump's attacks on CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins.

Consideration of Political Career

In 2016, Swisher publicly discussed the possibility of running for public office, specifically for a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. The potential candidacy was covered by San Francisco Chronicle and Rolling Stone, among other outlets. Swisher ultimately did not pursue the campaign.

Personal Life

Swisher is openly gay and has been public about her sexual orientation throughout her career. She was married to Megan Smith, who later served as the Chief Technology Officer of the United States under President Barack Obama. The couple married in 1999 and divorced in 2017.

In October 2011, Swisher suffered a transient ischemic attack (mini-stroke), which was reported by Business Insider at the time. She later wrote about the experience and its lasting impact in a 2019 New York Times opinion essay, prompted by the death of actor Luke Perry from a stroke.

Swisher has been recognized by Columbia University's Eugene Lang Entrepreneurship Center as a notable LGBTQ+ alumna.

Recognition

Swisher has received several awards and honors for her journalism. In 2011, she was a recipient of the Gerald Loeb Award, one of the most prestigious honors in business and financial journalism, presented by the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Also in 2011, she received recognition from the City of New York through a mayoral proclamation.

In December 2025, Mother Jones named Swisher its "Hero of 2025," citing her actions in connection with the Olivia Nuzzi–Ryan Lizza–Robert F. Kennedy Jr. controversy, describing her as "the one person in the sordid...mess who did the right thing."

Throughout her career, Swisher has been profiled in numerous publications, including New York Magazine, which in 2014 described her as "Silicon Valley's most powerful snoop," and Wired, which in 2025 characterized her as a defining figure in technology journalism over a three-decade span.

Legacy

Swisher's career has spanned the entirety of the commercial internet era, from the early days of dial-up access in the mid-1990s through the rise of social media, the smartphone revolution, and the emergence of artificial intelligence as a dominant force in the technology industry. Her work at The Wall Street Journal, through All Things Digital, at Recode, and in her podcast and television career has produced a body of journalism that chronicles the growth and transformation of the technology sector over more than thirty years.

Her interviewing style—characterized by direct, often confrontational questioning of technology executives—has influenced a generation of technology journalists and set expectations for how business leaders in the industry are held accountable in public forums. The All Things Digital and Code Conference formats, which she co-created with Walt Mossberg, established a model for technology conferences that combined journalism with live executive interviews, a format that has been widely emulated.

Swisher's willingness to criticize powerful technology companies and their leaders, including on matters related to user privacy, content moderation, and the societal impact of digital platforms, has made her a central figure in ongoing public debates about the regulation and governance of the technology industry. Her transition from print journalism to podcasting and television reflects broader shifts in media consumption and has demonstrated the viability of personality-driven journalism across multiple platforms.

As noted in the 2026 Bloomberg interview, Swisher has continued to evolve her coverage to address new developments, including the technology industry's shifting political alignments and the economic implications of artificial intelligence.