Walt Mossberg

Walter S. Mossberg (born March 27, 1947) is an American journalist who was, from 1991 through 2013, the principal technology columnist for The Wall Street Journal. He is currently Executive Editor of The Verge and Editor-at-Large of Recode, web sites owned by Vox Media. He writes a weekly column for both and also has a weekly podcast, Ctrl-Walt-Delete. He is also co-executive producer of the annual Code Conference. Dow Jones announced on September 19, 2013, that Mossberg would leave The Wall Street Journal as part of the breakup with AllThingsD by the end of the year. AllThingsD was a technology conference and web site owned by Dow Jones but created and operated by Mossberg and Kara Swisher. Along with other reporters from AllThingsD, Mossberg and Swisher started a new media site called Recode in 2014, which was acquired by Vox Media in 2015.

Mossberg, a native of Warwick, Rhode Island, is a graduate of Brandeis University and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Mossberg was a reporter and editor at The Wall Street Journal from 1970 until the end of 2013. He was based in the Journal's Washington, D.C., office, where he spent 18 years covering national and international affairs before turning his attention to technology. His Personal Technology column appeared every Thursday from 1991 through 2013. He also edited the Digital Solution column each Wednesday (authored by his colleague, Katherine Boehret), and wrote the Mossberg's Mailbox column on Thursdays. He appears weekly on CNBC, and in web video reports, and formerly provided commentary in a segment on PC World's Digital Duo, a computer program airing on PBS stations.

In 1999, Mossberg became the first technology writer to receive the Loeb award for Commentary. In 2001, he won the World Technology Award for Media and Journalism and received an honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Rhode Island. Mossberg is widely regarded as one of the most influential writers on information technology. In 2004, in a lengthy profile, Wired called him "The Kingmaker", saying "[f]ew reviewers have held so much power to shape an industry's successes and failures." He was also reported to have been the highest paid journalist at the Journal, with "his annual compensation approaching a million dollars."

In partnership with his fellow Journal columnist Kara Swisher, Mossberg created, produced and hosted the Journal's annual D: All Things Digital conference in Carlsbad, CA, in which top technology leaders, such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Elon Musk, appeared on stage without prepared remarks, or slides, and were interviewed by the two columnists. That conference concept continues today in the form of their Code Conference. Mossberg and Swisher also co-edited the All Things Digital web site, which included his columns, her blog and other posts.

In September, 2013, by mutual agreement, Dow Jones & Co. and Mossberg and Swisher announced they would not renew the contract with AllThingsD, and that Mossberg would be leaving The Wall Street Journal by the end of the year.

On January 2, 2014, Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher launched a new tech website called Recode. The website was acquired by Vox Media in May 2015 in an all-stock deal.