Bloomberg News tech reporter Mark Gurman was interviewed by Gregory Lucas-Myers of the University of Michigan alumni blog about his interest in tech journalism.
Here is an excerpt:
When did your passion for tech start, and how did you cultivate the connections to follow and report on so many unseen developments in Apple?
I’ve been fascinated by technology ever since I saw the first iPod Mini, I think that was in 2004. I really liked how it came in different colors. From that point on, I began to research Apple as a company, finding out who Steve Jobs was and what Apple did. I came upon 9to5Mac and began following their “leaks and rumors” team. I ended up joining that team around the end of 2009, beginning of 2010, when I was in 10th grade.
I came up with a few little stories, little leads early on. I found a domain name that indicated that Apple was working on the iPad, for instance. Over time, I wanted to be a sort of leader on the Apple news team and started developing sources and connections. The rest is history.
How did your time at U-M influence your tech reporting?
I think the workload and lessons in class helped me learn to balance and multitask. The fact that I was doing 9to5Mac while balancing school, and a social life, really helped me post-graduation. It taught me to deal with a lot at the same time.
There was also a lot, a lot, a lot of writing across the board at Michigan. That helped me with my own writing and research skills for my professional career.
Read more here.