Ben Smith

Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Semafor

Ben is the former media columnist of the New York Times. He was previously the founding editor-in-chief of BuzzFeed News from 2012 to 2020. Ben covered American politics for more than a decade at Politico and the New York Daily News, among other outlets, and launched a number of political blogs.

Euractiv relaunches as ‘Rapporteur’ in Brussels

The newsroom, founded in 1999, has rebooted in recent years as a competitor to Politico Europe.

Rapporteur

Beverage brand Liquid Death will make others’ ads

Liquid Death is one of the purest marketing stories of the moment: a billion-dollar company that sells the ultimate commodity through edgy comedy.

A rare kind of journalism

Semafor’s Ben Smith recommends Anand Giridharadas’ book on the subway confrontation between Jordan Neely, a homeless man with mental illness, and the former Marine Daniel Penny.

France’s ‘school of happy globalization’ refocuses on security

The shift at Sciences Po is indicative of a broader European pivot toward its own defense — and away from America.

Sciences Po

AI loses a Dallas debate

Frontier technology is dividing the right.

Joe Lonsdale and Joe Allen at Forum’s event on Sept. 9. @ApplyToForum/X.

Coefficient Giving’s CEO on Silicon Valley $40 billion philanthropy boom

Alexander Berger is preparing for the AI-fueled wave.

Alexander Berger, CEO, Coefficient Giving

New Leon Black book picks fight with the Times

Bill Cohan’s new biography is aimed, in part, at rebutting The New York Times’ coverage of Black and his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

‘Creatures of expedience’

Jacob Weisberg’s portraits of elite accommodation are “fascinating” and “instructive,” veteran journalist and media commentator Tina Brown wrote.

Can Democrats afford to take on Big Tech? Or to leave it alone?

Some in Washington make the case for laying off the hyperscalers.

Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy on loneliness and why he’s more worried about your phone than your body

Former US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy joins Mixed Signals to make the case that America’s loneliness crisis is a public health emergency.

Steve Hilton on the Murdochs, David Ellison, and conservative media’s California

Steve Hilton has lived many lives: a key strategist to former British Prime Minister David Cameron, a populist Fox News host, and — after renouncing his UK citizenship — the Republican nominee in California’s gubernatorial race.

Katie Nolan on the sports gambling takeover, covering politics, and the slow return of the boys’ club

Sports media host and “Casuals” podcast creator Katie Nolan joined Mixed Signals live at Cannes to talk about navigating two decades of upheaval in sports media.

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman on LLMs, fighting the bots, and why it’s good that you can’t get famous on Reddit

Reddit co-founder and CEO Steve Huffman joins Mixed Signals during the platform’s 21st birthday to talk about what it means to be the internet’s anti-social media hub.

Alex Cooper on flipping ‘Call Her Daddy’ into a media business and entering the creative agency space

Call Her Daddy host and Unwell co-founder Alex Cooper joins Mixed Signals live at Cannes Lions to talk about what it takes to turn a hit podcast into a real media business.

David Droga on being ‘the last Don Draper,’ AI’s impact on creativity, and why the boldest ads are the easiest sells

David Droga is the vice chair of Accenture Song and the most decorated creative in Cannes Lions history.

Eli Pariser on the end of the feed and how AI will change your morning routine

New_Public co-director and coiner of the “filter bubble,” Eli Pariser, joins Mixed Signals to walk through his new report on what news consumption looks like when AI takes over.

The “Popcast” hosts on interviewing Taylor Swift, killing the written review, and whether literacy is over

The hosts of The New York Times’ Popcast show join Mixed Signals to talk about how a two-decade-old music podcast became one of the most coveted interview slots in music.

US releases powerful Anthropic model Mythos to some US companies

The move comes the same day as a new OpenAI model sees a limited release.