TechCrunch is turning 20. I’ve somehow been here half that time, and this has been the best job of my life, which is maybe why the time has gone so fast.
Before I dive (quickly!) into the nostalgia that milestone birthdays inevitably bring, I want to pause and explain why this particular anniversary matters so much to me. After working at multiple major media companies earlier in my career (Time Inc., Dow Jones, Reuters), I can say with certainty that there is nothing like the culture here. Contrarian, smart, hilarious, and hard-working. Almost everyone at TC wears multiple hats, as anyone who has worked here will tell you. This isn’t just another media company — it’s a place where people are curious about everything, everyone cares a crazy amount about the brand (and each other), and where challenging conventional wisdom isn’t just encouraged but expected.
The approach has opened doors that might otherwise stay closed. Over the past decade, TechCrunch has had the opportunity to sit down with incredible personalities across every corner of the tech world, from CEOs like Sam Altman and Evan Spiegel to antitrust enforcers like Lina Khan, from venture capitalists like Marc Andreessen and Serena Williams to unlikely guests like Conan O’Brien and Al Gore, and leaders like Finland’s Sanna Marin. We’ve interviewed founders making defense tech, building consumer giants, and selling their software companies for billions of dollars. Collectively, our team has talked with thousands of founders and operators whose impact on our lives is felt daily. From these conversations, we’ve learned — then explained to our readers — how tech, policy, and human ambition intersect to shape the world.
We’ve done this from our h …