The Information is looking for reporters in New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles for several different new beats, including the future of the auto industry; financial technology and disruption; consumer brands and advertising; and entertainment. (See previous postings for openings covering artificial intelligence and China.)
We’re looking for reporters who can break news, write must-read features and dominate their beats. That means sourcing deeply, coming up with your own story ideas and not relying on announced news. It’s enormously liberating for good reporters.
This is an opportunity to join one of the fastest-growing news sites. The Information is a subscription-only, ad-free, online publication based in San Francisco. Since it was launched in late 2013 by former Wall Street Journal reporter Jessica Lessin, The Information has broken numerous stories about the biggest tech companies in the world and become one of the most influential voices in tech coverage.
Unlike most traditional news outlets, and many newer digital-only sites, we’re financially healthy and expanding. We have a group of advisers that include a former managing editor of the Wall Street Journal and one of the first investors in Google and Amazon.
Compensation is competitive and includes aggressive bonuses. We offer a range of benefits, including health insurance, three weeks paid vacation (starting), generous family leave, a technology budget and a gym stipend.
If you are interested in any of the below roles, send a resume, cover letter and clips to jobs@theinformation.com.
Cars (Bay Area)
The automotive industry is undergoing a once-in-a-lifetime transition to autonomous driving that will affect every aspect of people’s lives, including changing the way cities are structured and goods are delivered. Traditional carmakers in Detroit were moving in this direction, but Google’s Chauffeur project lit a fire. There’s already been one billion-dollar acquisition of a self-driving car startup, and Uber scooped up an entire wing of Carnegie Mellon University for its efforts. Chinese tech companies like Baidu as well as Apple, Tesla and high-profile startups like Otto have also joined the industry. These new players mean that the race toward self-driving cars and trucks, and the new alliances that come with it (Google and Fiat, Apple and China’s Didi), will be as fascinating to cover as how the industry’s evolution is transforming our cities—and our time.
We’re looking for someone who is as excited about this technology as they are about its implications for commerce, housing and society.
Financial Technology (New York)
This reporter will be responsible for writing must-read stories about the growing number of companies at the intersection of finance and tech, from payment and blockchain startups to companies with new approaches to algorithmic trading and wealth management. But our fintech reporter’s responsibilities won’t end there.
She or he will be responsible for covering what happens when these technologies disrupt how money flows throughout our financial institutions and the consumer market; the role that the big consumer platforms (Apple, Google, Facebook, PayPal) play; and the startups. Among the questions to be answered: How will banking change? What happens to credit? What happens to business models? What happens to our economy?
This is a unique beat that involves sourcing with leaders in both tech and finance, interactive data projects and a global mindset. Our fintech reporter should be ready to travel to countries like China and India where the absence of legacy systems is helping new approaches take hold faster.
Entertainment (New York or Los Angeles)
The entertainment industry nowadays is like a tale of two cities. There’s the traditional industry, dominated by major film studios and pay TV channels, which are fighting for their life. And then there’s digital media, best represented by Netflix, Amazon Prime and YouTube, taking an increasing share of viewership, subscription dollars and advertising. We’re looking for a reporter to cover both sides of the industry. That includes the big media companies like Walt Disney, Comcast, Time Warner and Fox as well as the startups and newer digital firms like Netflix. We want to get inside the established companies to chronicle their response to the disruption occurring, while tracking the rise of the newcomers.
We’re looking for a reporter with experience covering media and entertainment, both legacy and digital, who has a track record breaking news and writing in-depth features.
Consumer Brands and Advertising (New York)
Technological innovation and the startup mentality that has upended many industries over the past two decades are also invading consumer packaged goods companies—the suppliers of food, cosmetics, soap and other household items. These are companies like Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola and Colgate-Palmolive. They’re among the biggest advertisers in the world, responsible for most of the items you see in grocery stores. Now advertising is being revolutionized and Amazon is changing how goods are sold. Startups like Harrys.com or Honest Co are taking market share.
That’s why we’re looking for a reporter to cover the convergence of consumer packaged goods and technology.
Candidates should have in-depth reporting experience and a track record in breaking news and insights on a business beat.
