Walt Mossberg recently announced that he will be retiring this coming June. Mossberg has been a journalist for almost five decades and was The Wall Street Journal’s technology columnist from 1991 – 2013. Mossberg latest venture, Recode, which he launched with his long-time collaborator, Kara Swisher, was acquired by Vox Media in 2015.
Mossberg has always written with integrity and empathy. I admire that. When I was attending the New England Institute of Technology, his weekly Personal Technology column was a must read. Later in my career, I had the privilege of interviewing Mossberg for Inman News in May 2011 to discuss social media, tablets and mobile apps. He was generous with his time and also quick to point out a couple of grammatical errors I had made.
Mossberg and Swisher also produced two of the industries most notable conferences. The All Things Digital conference and now the annual Code Conference. The All Things Digital conference showcased the most influential executives in the industry. The interviews were unscripted and real. Like many, the Steve Jobs and Bill Gates interview moderated by Mossberg and Swisher at the fifth All Things Digital conference (D5) in 2007, was my favorite. It’s one of the finest interviews in the history of technology.
From one Rhode Islander to another, enjoy retirement Walt, you earned it.