Disclaimer
None of the organizations mentioned here are responsible for anything you see on this site. You might get a better understanding of what I do by looking at these videos and press articles about me and my work. Or you can follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or subscribe to this site to keep up with me online.
Some representative videos of my work, ranging from discussions of public policy to encouraging support for clean water in rural India to entirely improvised comedic slideshows:
Other fun facts:
You can see a list of academic citations of my work via Google Scholar.
Some additional media highlights:
Previously
Trello
Acquired by Atlassian, 2017 • Trello is a flexible and fun way to manage projects, for everything from simple todo lists to complex team efforts. I made a small angel investment because it’s a helpful tool that millions use every day. In January of 2017, Atlassian acquired Trello for $425 million.
Makerbase
Acquired by Fog Creek Software, 2016 • I cofounded (with Gina Trapani) and was CEO of Makerbase, a user-created directory of apps, websites, and the people who make them. Makerbase is now part of Fog Creek Software.
Wired
I was a contributing editor of Wired, one of the most respected and popular general interest titles in the history of magazines. My monthly opinion column covered the impact technology has on society.
White House Office of Digital Strategy
I was an advisor to the Obama White House's Office of Digital Strategy under the first Chief Digital Officer of the United States. Under that administration, American citizens got an unprecedented view on the workings of their democracy in realtime. This also led to my participation in the first and only "South by South Lawn" event, where U.S. Representative and civil rights legend John Lewis introduced a panel I moderated on using digital platforms to organize for social justice.
Expert Labs
Project Completed, 2012 • In 2009, I founded Expert Labs under the auspices of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and with the backing of the MacArthur Foundation.During the 3 years of our experiment, we worked closely with lawmakers from the municipal and state level all the way to the White House and members of Congress to drive direct public feedback on laws through social networks like Facebook and Twitter.
Six Apart
Merged with Say Media, 2010 • Six Apart was the company that created Movable Type and TypePad as the first professional blogging tools, used to build sites from Gawker to the Huffington Post. I was the first employee, led business development and helped the company grow to over 200 employees worldwide. In 2010, Six Apart became part of Say Media.
ThinkUp
ThinkUp was a pioneering social media analytics app lauded by the New York Times as “indispensable”. Built on top of one of the most inclusive and popular open source platforms of its time, ThinkUp offered a wholly unique view into the time we spend on social networks until its shutdown in 2016.
TalkShow
Acquired by Medium, 2017 • I advised TalkShow on their innovative mobile app which brought together the excitement of a live audience with the intimacy of personal messaging. My interview series "Pop Life" was consistently among the most-viewed content on the platform, presenting a unique set of conversations with some of the most influential voices in culture.
Readability
Acquired by Postlight, 2016 • I advised Readability in their mission to offer a fundamental improvement to the experience of reading, across all modern platforms from the web to mobile devices, while rewarding readers, writers and publishers. Readability was acquired by Postlight and re-released as Mercury Reader.
Aspen Institute Task Force on Learning and the Internet
Report Completed, 2014 • I was invited to be a member of this Task Force focused on the future of education and how new technologies will have an impact on the way we learn. The Task Force’s final recommendations have been shared broadly with educators, students, parents, policy makers and the private sector.
Branch
Acquired by Facebook, 2014 • Branch built a beautiful platform to encourage civil, productive, personal conversations on the web, through their apps Branch and Potluck. I advised the team until their acquisition by Facebook.
Mixel
Acquired by Etsy, 2013 • Mixel was one of the most innovative and expressive early apps on the iPad. I advised Lascaux, the company behind the collage app Mixel, from its inception through its team eventually joining Etsy.
Votizen
Acquired by Causes, 2013 • Votizen worked to help people campaign together for the issues and candidates they care about. I was ostensibly an advisor to Votizen, but it was acquired by Causes.com before I made any substantive contributions.
Oink
Acquired by Google, 2012 • I advised Milk, Inc. on their effort to create Oink, an app for recording and sharing all the experiences and products you enjoy in a day. The Milk team was acquired by Google in 2012.
The United Nations launched its Social Media Envoy initiative to help get the word out in the battle against malaria, and I was honored to take part as one of the first members of the program.
Greedhead Music
Greedhead’s work in creating a new kind of record label, including their launch of the career of their flagship act, Das Racist, set a new standard in the music industry and helped give a platform to voices that had been overlooked in conventional hip hop as well as broader genres like comedy.
I’m the CEO of Glitch, an entrepreneur and writer trying to make the tech world a little more thoughtful, creative and humane. Having created Internet technologies for two decades, I’m focused on the way technology can transform society, media, the arts, government and culture.