WSJ’s Google reporter joining tech news startup

Amir Efrati, who has been covering Google for The Wall Street Journal, is leaving the paper to work for former Journal reporter Jessica Lessin‘s new tech news operation.

Lessin writes, “Amir needs no introduction to anyone who follows technology news. For the past three years he’s broken major stories about Google, Yahoo and other Internet companies, including Google’s creation of a social-networking service, its plans to develop wireless networks abroad and its increasingly complicated relationship with Samsung. He also was first to write about Motorola’s “X” phone, which will be unveiled next week.Before that, he wrote about the Justice Department, federal courts and white-collar crime for the Journal, where he broke news of numerous financial fraud probes, led the paper’s exhaustive coverage of the Bernard Madoff fraud, and saw his work cited by federal judges. His 2007 front-page article on the surprisingly troubled legal job market forced some law schools to change their shady marketing practices and, more importantly, helped convince some college graduates not to attend law school.

“He joined the Journal in 2004 after graduating from the University of Iowa.

“A year later, I joined the paper and began turning to Amir for advice on matters like how to get a story on the front page and good bars for an after-work drink. Since then, Amir has been an invaluable colleague and friend. We’ve been a great team on numerous stories about clashing technology titans—including this investigation into Apple’s decision to break from Google’s mapping technology. We can’t wait to continue our streak.

“Amir is the killer combination of a scoop maven and a smart, analytical thinker.”

Read more here.