BETA
This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here

More From Forbes

Edit Story

How Kara Swisher Is Holding Tech Titans Accountable

Following
This article is more than 5 years old.

“You don’t get a medal for not doing a good job,” says Recode’s executive editor, Kara Swisher. Known as much for her brutal honesty as she is for breaking big news, Swisher is outspoken in her ongoing scrutiny of Silicon Valley, adamant that leaders there could and should be doing better when it comes to moving the needle on diversity, on and off their platforms.

“They have a quantum amount of money, a huge amount of power and impact and influence. If you want to live in those worlds, you have to take responsibility,” says Swisher. "They’d rather the money and the power, and the responsibility. The payment of consequences is something that people in Silicon Valley don’t do very well."

Much of the problem, according to Swisher, stems from a Silicon Valley disconnect. “They [tech leaders] are too wealthy. They live apart from people. They think having a plane is normal. The reason Twitter had bullying is because the people who ran it didn't get bullied. So why would they know that people get bullied? A lot of these people live in these beautiful bubbles where they don't understand abuse, so why would they know to fix it?

Forbes Media

Swisher’s rise to become the tech industry’s toughest and most influential critic included stops at the Washington Post and The Wall Street journal, where she pioneered coverage of the Internet and earned a reputation for her legendary scoops and spotting trends others missed or chose to ignore. Realizing that her brutal honesty and penchant for defying authority made her a “bad employee,” Swisher decided to take the reins and strike out on her own.“I didn’t like working for people and I didn’t like having stupid bosses, of which there are so many. I took a negative thing and made it into a positive thing. I’ll do what I want.”

Unapologetic in asserting that she’s “right,” that she’s “the best,” Swisher is also aware that this confidence tends to make others uncomfortable but “doesn’t care.” I recently sat down with the media trailblazer to discuss how she holds tech titans accountable, the value in being the boss, and solving for Silicon Valley’s gender gap. Edited highlights below.

On The Value Of Selfishness:

“People always think, ‘Oh, don't be selfish.’ Why not? Whats good for you is often good for other people. Every time I get selfish, people get employed.”

On Her Brutal Honesty:

“I don't do a lot of niceties. If someone's like, ‘You don't like me, do you?’ I'm like, ‘No, I don't. Like, that is accurate. That is an accurate depiction.’”

On Others’ Opinions Of Her:

“I think I'm well-liked because I'm very pleasant and polite. People expect me to yell at them. I'm not like that. When I talk to people, I tell them what's coming. Whenever there's a tough story, I call them, and I say this is what I'm going say. And they may not like it, but they are never surprised by what I’m going to do.”

On Confidence vs Arrogance:

“I think arrogant is being inaccurate about your abilities. If you're really good at what you do and you state it, that's not arrogant; that's how you are.”

On Owning Her Identity:

“Try being gay back then. It wasn’t easy. Now it is. Everybody’s gay now. Young people are much more confident. But at my time, you had to hide yourself. You had to hide in plain sight essentially. It was a very different world. I remember the fear of being found out. You get good at that. And then one day I was like, ‘This is taking up a ridiculous amount of my mental time and I have other things to do.’”

On Embracing Diverse Perspectives:

“You know, you don't have to be-- a woman of color to understand her experience. You really don't. Just ask a question.”

On Paying The Price:

"The bill always comes due. Whatever you do is going to cost you later, sort of like the concept of karma. I think young people, especially, don't understand that. There's always a cost for something."

On Her Children:

“Raising men is really important. People always say, ‘That’s the way boys are.’ I’m like, ‘Are they? Are they that way? Do they have to be that way? Do they always have to be strong and non-crying? Is that a good thing for them?’ I don’t necessarily want them to cry, but I want them to be emotionally articulate. I want them to be understanding of their advantages.”

Follow me on TwitterSend me a secure tip