About Jacob
Bio
American, Chicago born. Studied Classics, Literature, and History at Yale and New College, Oxford. Started writing about politics and policy for The New Republic in the 1980s. Went to Slate at the dawn of digital media in 1996 and ran it for many years. Co-founded businesses including The Root, Megaphone, and in 2018 Pushkin with my old DC roommate Malcolm Gladwell. We make podcasts and audiobooks with a roster of brilliant voices including Michael Lewis, Jill Lepore, Laurie Santos, Tim Harford, Adam Gopnik, and Rick Rubin. We also produce shows with the TED Audio Collective. I’m Vice-chair of The Committee to Protect Journalists. In my spare time, I like to run, read, cook, eat, and watch the Criterion Channel with my wife in upstate, New York.
I'm passionate about
Global press freedom and independent media
An idea worth spreading
Liberalism
Things you might not know
Headstands