History of Kara Swisher in Timeline

Kara Swisher is a prominent American journalist renowned for her extensive coverage of the internet business since 1994. She's recognized as a contributing editor at New York Magazine. Swisher is also a podcast host. She hosts "On with Kara Swisher" and co-hosts "Pivot," solidifying her presence as a leading voice in technology journalism and commentary.

Sections (3)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements

December 11, 1962: Kara Swisher Born

On December 11, 1962, Kara Anne Swisher was born. She is an American journalist who has covered the business of the internet since 1994.

Others born on this day/year

1984: Obtained Undergraduate Degree

In 1984, Kara Swisher obtained her undergraduate degree from the Walsh School of Foreign Service (SFS) at Georgetown University.

1985: Graduated from Columbia University

In 1985, Kara Swisher graduated from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism with an M.S. in journalism.

1986: Returned to The Washington Post

In 1986, Kara Swisher returned to The Washington Post as a news aid for the Style desk before becoming a reporter covering the local retail beat.

1994: Covering the Internet Business

In 1994, Kara Swisher began covering the business of the internet as a journalist.

1997: Joined The Wall Street Journal

In 1997, Kara Swisher joined The Wall Street Journal, working from its San Francisco bureau and creating the Boom Town column.

July 1998: Published "aol.com: How Steve Case Beat Bill Gates, Nailed the Netheads and Made Millions in the War for the Web"

In July 1998, Kara Swisher published her book "aol.com: How Steve Case Beat Bill Gates, Nailed the Netheads and Made Millions in the War for the Web" by Times Business Print Books.

aol.com: How Steve Case Beat Bill Gates, Nailed the Netheads, and Made Millions in the War for the Web

Check it on Amazon

1999: Married Megan Smith

In 1999, Kara Swisher married engineer and technology executive Megan Smith in Marin County, at a time when same-sex marriage was not legal in California.

2003: Legal Wedding Ceremony in Niagara Falls

In 2003, Kara Swisher and Megan Smith had an additional legal wedding ceremony in Niagara Falls, Canada.

2003: Launched All Things Digital Conference

In 2003, Kara Swisher, along with Walt Mossberg, launched the All Things Digital conference, later expanding it into a daily blog called AllThingsD.com.

2003: Published "There Must Be a Pony in Here Somewhere: The AOL Time Warner Debacle and the Quest for a Digital Future"

In the fall of 2003, Kara Swisher published her book "There Must Be a Pony in Here Somewhere: The AOL Time Warner Debacle and the Quest for a Digital Future" by Crown Business Print Books.

There Must Be a Pony in Here Somewhere: The AOL Time Warner Debacle and the Quest for a Digital Future

Check it on Amazon

2004: San Francisco Same-Sex Wedding

In 2004, Kara Swisher and Megan Smith had another legal wedding ceremony as part of the San Francisco 2004 same-sex weddings.

November 2008: San Francisco Wedding

In November 2008, Kara Swisher and Megan Smith had another wedding ceremony in San Francisco in advance of California Proposition 8.

2011: Suffered Mini-Stroke

In 2011, Kara Swisher suffered a "mini-stroke" while on a flight to Hong Kong and was hospitalized.

January 1, 2014: Launched Recode Website

On January 1, 2014, Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg launched the Recode website, based in San Francisco.

2014: Separated from Megan Smith

In 2014, Kara Swisher and Megan Smith separated after being married since 1999.

2014: Co-founded Recode with Walt Mossberg

In 2014, Kara Swisher co-founded Recode with Walt Mossberg, a website owned by Vox Media.

May 2015: Vox Media Acquired Recode

In May 2015, Vox Media acquired the Recode website that Kara Swisher co-founded.

June 2015: Launched Recode Decode Podcast

In June 2015, Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg launched Recode Decode, a weekly podcast featuring interviews with prominent figures in technology; Stewart Butterfield was the first guest.

2015: Appearance in Silicon Valley

In 2015, Kara Swisher appeared as herself in an episode of the HBO show Silicon Valley.

Loading Video...

2016: Planned Mayoral Run in 2023

In 2016, Kara Swisher announced her plans to run for mayor of San Francisco as a Democrat in 2023.

2016: John McLaughlin death reflection

Reflecting on John McLaughlin's death from prostate cancer in 2016, Kara Swisher wrote, "I'm so glad he's dead. Seriously, I'm glad he's dead. He was a jackass. He deserved it."

2017: Divorced from Megan Smith

As of 2017, Kara Swisher and Megan Smith were divorced.

September 2018: Launched Pivot Podcast

In September 2018, Recode and Vox Media launched Pivot, a semi-weekly news commentary podcast co-hosted by Kara Swisher and Scott Galloway.

2018: Wrote about experiences working for The McLaughlin Group

In 2018 Kara Swisher wrote of her experiences working for The McLaughlin Group in a Slate article, in which she alleged that host John McLaughlin abused staff and sexually harassed women.

2018: Contributing Opinion Writer at The New York Times

In 2018, Kara Swisher became a contributing Opinion writer at The New York Times, focusing on the technology industry.

2018: Opinion Writer for The New York Times

In 2018, Kara Swisher became an opinion writer for The New York Times.

January 2019: Gillette Advertisement Controversy

In January 2019, Kara Swisher responded strongly to disapproval of a Gillette advertisement after the January 2019 Lincoln Memorial confrontation, leading to controversy and an eventual apology.

2019: Wrote Remembrance of Luke Perry

In 2019, Kara Swisher wrote about her mini-stroke experience in a remembrance of Luke Perry, who died from a stroke.

April 2020: Pivot Joins New York Magazine

In April 2020, New York Magazine announced that Pivot would be joining the magazine's properties, dropping the Recode branding, and Kara Swisher would also join as editor-at-large.

May 2020: Not involved in editing/assigning stories

In May 2020, Kara Swisher stated on Twitter that she had not been involved in editing or assigning stories on Recode for many years.

October 3, 2020: Married Amanda Katz

On October 3, 2020, Kara Swisher married Amanda Katz, with whom she later had two children.

2020: Times premiered Sway podcast

On September 21, 2020, The New York Times premiered Sway, a Salesforce-sponsored podcast hosted by Kara Swisher, focusing on power dynamics and influence. Nancy Pelosi was the first guest.

2021: Hosted Succession Companion Podcast

In 2021, Kara Swisher hosted the official companion podcast for the third season of HBO's TV series Succession.

Loading Video...

2021: Signed Two-Book Memoir Deal

In 2021, Kara Swisher signed a two-book memoir deal with Simon & Schuster.

2021: Desire to work in military/intelligence

In a 2021 interview with Bryan Elliott, Kara Swisher said that as a child, she wanted to work in the military, military intelligence, or the CIA.

June 2022: Ending Activities at The New York Times

In June 2022, it was reported that Kara Swisher would be ending her activities at The New York Times to pursue a new project with Vox Media.

September 2022: Editor-at-Large at New York Magazine and Host of 'On with Kara Swisher'

In September 2022, Kara Swisher became an editor-at-large at New York Magazine and the host of On with Kara Swisher; the first episode of 'On' premiered September 26.

2022: Re-joined Vox Media

In 2022, Kara Swisher re-joined Vox Media after being an opinion writer for The New York Times from 2018.

2023: Hosted Succession Companion Podcast

In 2023, Kara Swisher hosted the official companion podcast for the fourth season of HBO's TV series Succession.

Loading Video...

2023: Contributing Editor, Podcast Host

In 2023, Kara Swisher was a contributing editor at New York Magazine, the host of the podcast On with Kara Swisher, and the co-host of the podcast Pivot.

2023: Platform for Mayoral run

In 2023, Kara Swisher's platform for the mayorship run was expected to be highly progressive, focusing on housing, marijuana legalization, and labor laws.