Tech news site Backchannel is moving to Conde Nast and becoming part of the Wired network, and it has hired well-known tech journalist Jessi Hempel.
Steven Levy of Backchannel writes, “We will still publish on the Medium platform — but as a client, like The Ringer. (A moment of silence, please, for the ‘platisher‘ era.) We’ll be part of the Wired Media Group, along with WIRED and Ars Technica.
“Accompanying me on this move is Backchannel’s executive editor Sandra Upson. When I was looking to fill the post in late 2014, her resume stood out, but I had no idea what a smart, steady, and fearless partner she would be. She’ll be filling the same role after the move, and her intelligence and story wisdom will continue to be reflected in every piece we run.
“I’m also thrilled to announce a third partner, Jessi Hempel. I’ve followed her career from Business Week to Fortune to WIRED as she ascended to the very top rank of tech journalism, uniquely fusing a deep sense of human foibles to the stories she tackled. As head of editorial, Jessi’s voice and vision will help define Backchannel in its new iteration, as she works with Sandra and me to build our publication into an operation worthy of our new owner. She’s bursting out of the gate today with her premier Backchannel story — the first in-depth interview of Reid Hoffman after Microsoft announced it was buying LinkedIn.
“Personally, the move is kind of a homecoming: I was a founding writer atWIRED, and previous to Backchannel, I spent six years there as senior staff writer. (If you cut me, I still might bleed neon.) But it won’t be like some millennial returning to a parent’s house to live in the basement. We’ll be dedicated to building Backchannel into one of the company’s great titles.”
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