David Kirkpatrick

David Kirkpatrick is an American business journalist and author of several books that focus on the impact of new technologies on business and culture. He is currently writing for the website Recode and he frequently contributes opinion pieces for The New York Times.

Kirkpatrick began his career in 1985 when he joined Fortune Magazine as a staff writer. During his time at Fortune, Kirkpatrick was part of the team that wrote the award-winning "Heroes of Capitalism" series, which documented the impact of entrepreneurship in America. In 1996, he moved to Time magazine, and in 2002, he became the magazine's first Techland editor.

In 2006, Kirkpatrick published The Facebook Effect: The Inside Story of the Company that is Connecting the World, which was the result of two years worth of research, interviews, and insights. Kirkpatrick gained unprecedented access to the inner workings of Facebook and its founders, which allowed him to write what is considered to be the definitive account of the company's rise to prominence. The book is credited as a major influence on understanding the potential of social media to shape culture and change people's lives.

In 2011, Kirkpatrick released The Twitter Revolution: How Social Media and Mobile Marketing is Changing the Way We Do Business and Market Online, which dives into the impact of Twitter on businesses and how they can capitalize on the platform's success. Kirkpatrick also provides insight on how Twitter has changed from an individual-level tool to an invaluable business resource. This book is considered to be the definitive guide to using Twitter to generate revenue and gain exposure.

Kirkpatrick's 2015 book, The Silicon Valley Suicides, is a look into the hidden consequences of tech start-up life. It follows the stories of some of Silicon Valley's brightest and youngest entrepreneurs who ended their lives due to the demands and pressures of startup culture. The book takes a critical look at the emotional and financial toll that startup culture can have on those who enter the tech world at a young age.

Kirkpatrick's most recent work is the 2018 book MOOC U: Who Is Getting the Most Out of Online Education and Why, which catalogs the rapid growth of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and how they are transforming higher education. Kirkpatrick examines how MOOCs are changing the way universities teach, operate and distribute course material, and he also looks at who is most likely to benefit from the growth of these new digital platforms.

In addition to his writing, Kirkpatrick is an active speaker who has appeared at numerous conferences and on television. He is also a lecturer at Stanford University, where he delivers courses on social media and technology. He is also the Founder and Curator of Techonomy, a media company that focuses on the intersection of technological and social change.

David Kirkpatrick is an experienced journalist whose writings on the technology sector have influenced and shaped the debate and discussion surrounding the impact of new technologies on businesses and culture. His works provide invaluable insight into the evolution of the tech landscape and how technologies like Facebook, Twitter, and online education are changing and transforming the world.