If you work in the media, you know The Information is like a shovel factory, capable of scrupulous research, moving markets, and vying for clout with the likes of the New York Times. If you are simply consuming journalism to be better informed, you were probably familiar with some of the site’s work, which is featured regularly on your Twitter feed and broadcast occasionally Shock waves through Silicon Valley and the bigger tech industry.
At the top of the subscription-based publication is the editor-in-chief Jessica Lessin. As the head of the website, she always has her finger on the pulse of her team of reporters and editors. We recently spoke with Lessin about the requirements of running an investigative news outfit from home and how to get away from the constant churn of news.
Nowadays it is certainly doable to run an investigative news outfit remotely. But what was the hardest aspect of the change and what did you do to overcome it?
We had to work very hard to keep everyone on the same page, not just in terms of the daily strategy or the next big challenge, but also in terms of the overall strategy. Ironically, since we are all writers, we had a meeting / discussion culture rather than a document / note / memo culture. But we’ve also added some written stuff to make a good impact. The pandemic has driven that, but so has our growing size of a company. We have hired more than two dozen people since the pandemic began, the vast majority of whom we had never met.
Being outdoors helps so much. I write my best columns, have my best ideas, and feel best when I step away from my desk – even for a few minutes.
How unpredictable is your everyday life? News is unpredictable, but in many ways I feel that management may not be that hectic and out of your hands. How do you strive for regularity in your daily routine?
I’m actually trying to go in the opposite direction. If my schedule is too regulated, it will be consumed by meetings that may not reflect what needs to be done at the moment. And then there’s no time to do the other things, whether it’s working on an important story or looking for an important new employee. Right now I’m aiming for a mix of recurring meetings that resemble a routine and then a lot of unstructured working hours. It was a bit easier to find the unstructured time when I didn’t have to travel to work often.
What do you do to break away from news and keep your mind fresh? Did last year’s upheaval mean that this was more of a necessity?
Being outdoors helps so much. I write my best columns, have my best ideas, and feel best when I step away from my desk – even for a few minutes. Music has helped lately too. In a remote work culture, you can be chained to your desk, the internet, and the message cycle for hours. I think it drained some of my creative thoughts.
Is your company considering moving to a hybrid setup? How important is it for all of you to work together in the same physical space?
Our plan is to be back in the office in the fall, with a few days away and some team members working completely remotely as always. Most importantly, we’ll try things out, see how they go, and revise. Our culture is personal, so we firmly believe in spending time together, whether it’s discussing items, working on a new product, or just learning from each other.
How do you see the development and further development of the information?
More coverage on more topics without losing our signature depth. Technology is changing every business, and today only 49 percent of our subscribers work in the technology industry. We’re excited to help professionals from different industries who need to understand how tech companies work and what technologies (AI, AR / VR, cloud) will change the face of business.
From a product standpoint, we’re excited to develop new news products for our large and loyal community. Stay up to date with how people are following the news and build communities around them.
