We’re living through the greatest explosion in innovation in human history. A century from now, the historians of the future will be fascinated to wonder what it was like to live during this era of such sweeping transformations in the ways we live, work, and create communities.
Hanging out with the ZDNET Asia team in Singapore in 2012.
The rise of the internet has democratized the flow of ideas and empowered entrepreneurs, citizens, students, thinkers, workers, creators, and community organizers. If you have an inspiration for a better way of doing things, you can now quickly and inexpensively share it with the world. And, if enough people gravitate to it, then you can start a business, bring an injustice to light, create an industry, change a way of thinking, start a cultural phenomenon, or transform a community.
That's the stuff I love to think about, write about, and talk about.
For over a decade, I’ve been honored to lead teams of journalists across North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia to tell big stories about innovation.
Today, I work as the Vice President and Editor in Chief of ZDNET, where I’ve led the modern transformation of the business, the brand, and the mission of this 30 year-old digital media juggernaut. ZDNET is well prepared to seize the remarkable opportunities in front of us to help people understand how the next wave of technology and innovation are going to change their future — at work and in life.
Dinner with some of the ZDNET team in New York in 2024.
Previously, I served as Senior Editorial Director at CNET, where I led the transformation of the global product reviews strategy and as Global Editor in Chief of TechRepublic, where I led the emergence of that brand as a highly profitable business and a winner of dozens of awards for excellence in service journalism.
As a society, we’re now on the cusp of a tremendous new wave of disruptions and breakthroughs and I love learning about society-bending ideas around artificial intelligence, robotics, clean energy, augmented reality, micro-finance, and wearable technologies — just to name a handful!
I also enjoy spending time volunteering, doing community service, walking, hiking, and taking photos, and I love a good laugh or a meaningful conversation with family and friends. I’m a Baha’i, which gives me inspiration, hope for the future of humanity, and respect for people of all different backgrounds and beliefs.
Below are links to a few things I’ve written over the years.
Innovation stories
The moment Apple, Microsoft destinies parted ways (CBS News)
Apple's first employee: The remarkable odyssey of Bill Fernandez (TechRepublic)
When robots eliminate jobs, humans will find better things to do (ZDNET)
Can Google survive its blind faith in the algorithm? (ZDNET)
How Apple Watch uncovered my toxic stress level, and helped me fix it (CNET)
Blockchain could reverse the course of civilization and upend the world's most powerful companies (ZDNET)
Louisville to co-create a smart city with its citizen scientists (ZDNET)
Who will have the courage to build the future again? (ZDNET)
IT's new role: Build a digital society worthy of our descendants (ZDNET)
7 Chinese companies that will shape the future of the tech industry: My week in Beijing (ZDNET)
Ford is now a 'personal mobility' company: How the comeback kids are riding tech to a new destiny (CNET)
Book: Follow the Geeks
In 2016, I co-authored Follow the Geeks, a book that profiled 10 digital innovators and how they forged a new path for the future of work. These 10 were part of the generation that paved the way for the influencer economy that continues to sweep through media and marketing today. The project itself was also an experiment to re-imagine books for the digital age by combining the power of crowdfunding and serial publishing.
