Journalists spend their entire careers chasing a dream situation or the perfect intersection of mission, team, and editorial vision. Jason Hiner built it once at ZDNET and is reimagining it now at The Deep View. I sat down with Jason to discuss how he’s building that dream for the second time and his thoughts on the future of the media.
You’ll find the full transcript of our conversation below, but if you’re short on time, don’t miss our “Dialed-in Snapshot” for the can’t-miss highlights. As always, subscribe to The Deep View if you haven’t already, and sign up for their interactive newsletter.
Dialed-In Snapshot:
I wasn’t looking for an opportunity; it came looking for me. At ZDNET, I had the dream. I built the team and relaunched the site, brand, and mission for the next decade. I had four years there, where I finally got to do tech media the way I always wanted to. It was tough to leave that.
When we relaunched in August 2022, I told the team — and, this looks naive today — that in three years, AI would be our biggest topic. At that point, it was our 22nd most popular topic on ZDNET. Then ChatGPT launched three months later. By the beginning of 2023, it was already our number one topic. We had a great run, in which we became one of the leading outlets covering AI with a dedicated team and section.
By 2025, I realized there was so much happening so fast in AI, but I could only devote so much time to it because we covered everything from consumer electronics to enterprise tech. I felt this pull to spend all my time learning and writing about AI.
When a recruiter I trust reached out, I talked to the founder, Faris Kojok, and was incredibly impressed. He wasn't trying to make a quick buck; he wanted to build a generational media brand.
Faris’ vision aligned with the thesis I had at ZDNET since 2022: The future of media is deeper engagements with specific audiences. It was an opportunity for me to do two things: cover AI full-time, and build a next-generation media company.
My thesis has been that the era of playing to algorithms, SEO, socials, and otherwise, is ending. The future is earned trust, where people (purposefully) subscribe to you. Again, The Deep View was the opportunity to cover AI full-time and build a next-gen media company around that thesis.
I talked to several mentors in the industry. Mark Larkin, who was our President at CNET and is now the CEO of Clearlink; Wayne Silverman, a former Chief Revenue Officer of Spiceworks Ziff Davis, and The Channel Company; and Matt McMahon, who held SVP and EVP roles at CBS and Paramount. Matt had started multiple startups and had multiple exits, so he knew the startup game really well. That was a great help because moving to a scrappy startup is a very specific experience.
I didn't speak with anyone who had run a newsletter specifically, because I’d run those for a long time at TechRepublic, CNET, and ZDNET. I felt confident there. It was more about thinking strategically about my career and the day-to-day of building a team.
I take it as a huge compliment when people want to work with me again. It means they had a good experience and that you were a good mentor. I have one person, Allison DeNisco Rayome, who has worked with me on three teams: TechRepublic, CNET, and ZDNET. She’s still at ZDNET and doing amazing work.
Poaching is a sensitive topic, so I let people seek me out. I don't like to burn bridges. Many freelancers I’ve worked with are interested in coming to The Deep View, but my budget is more modest to start. I’m also thoughtful about letting the dust settle, and I certainly want ZDNET to continue to be very successful. I left a lot of my blood on the floor over there, helping to build that brand for the next decade.
We have a strong perspective on helping the audience make sense of AI. There’s so much confusion. Narratives about bubbles bursting vs. AI being the best investment, or AI killing jobs vs. creating them. As journalists, that uncertainty is where there's amazing work for us today to help the audience.
We are not doomers, and we aren't cheerleaders. We have a mature, nuanced, analytical view. We help people cut through the fluff and understand what this means for their coworkers, family, and community. We only write stories where we have something to add, whether it's original reporting, scoops, exclusives, or deeper analysis. We’re building around quality and trust. We don't try to curate all the news, because AI will eventually do that better than us. We pick the three most important stories of the day and give you a double-click beyond the headlines.
We want the story behind the story. We love the human element. Can we get the product manager, the executive, or the developer who started the thing? We want to talk about the why, the roots of the project, and the dream state for the product.
As things become more automated, human storytelling builds trust. We want to talk to the makers and builders because they have a perspective that is very clear and considered, rather than just a marketing pitch.
We’ll be at HumanX, Google I/O, Ai4, and many other events where AI is a critical topic. We’re dedicated to covering the most important AI events in person because that’s how you get closest to the people. We do selectively accept paid travel as long as it’s disclosed. Sabrina Ortiz just went to Samsung Unpacked and MWC on partner-sponsored trips.
It looks like you took over The Deep View: Conversations podcast in an official capacity about a month ago. Are there new things that you want to experiment with in future episodes?
I love podcasting. Sabrina Ortiz and Nat Rubio Licht will host some episodes, too, so PR can pitch all three of us. We want natural, freewheeling conversations that feel like two friends catching up over coffee. If someone is the most polished speaker in the world, they might not be the right fit. We want people who are working on solving important problems related to AI.
I’m inundated with podcast pitches now, so I can’t respond to all of them. But people I’ve worked with before know how to get a hold of me on LinkedIn or via text. I’m always willing to consider a new guest who is a good talker and is passionate about chatting up AI.
The newsletter is truly a labor of love. And I love hearing feedback, good or bad. You can also follow my updates on AI in real-time on X or reach out on LinkedIn. Hearing from the audience is one of my favorite parts of the job.