Protocol, a new online publication from the house of Politico is live. It wants to bring a new dimension to coverage of technology, which has gone from being a curiosity to the necessity to now becoming a foundational part of modern existence. ” Technology is no longer just an industry; it’s a global power center with the sweep and impact of any nation’s capital,” writes Tim Grieve, executive editor of the publication and promises, that they “plan to cover it like one.”
It is a very crowded market that they are entering — Bloomberg/BusinessWeek, Forbes, Business Insider, Wired, C/net, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times are already occupying and taking too much of our attention. And then there are independents such as The Information. Needless to say, it is a bull market for technology journalists.
And talking about journalists, Protocol has hired three of my former GigaOm colleagues – Janko Roettgers, Biz Carson and Tom Krazit. In addition, one of my former Red Herring editors, Joanna Pearlstein has joined as Managing Editor. Given my personal connection to some people here, I have a vested interest in rooting for this publication. Janko has written about Sonos. Biz has a piece about Reid Hoffman. I also liked Extreme Silicon Valley.
As a general observation, given the crowded nature of the proverbial airwaves pumping technology-focused content, and not to mention a growing army of newsletters, Protocol has its work cut out if it wants to make a mark. The first two days of articles are any indication, I would say, they are in their “spring training” phase. That said, I do like the idea of new publications. More the merrier — gives me a chance to actually see my former colleagues thrive.
February 6, 2020, San Francisco