Joshua Topolsky

Joshua Ryan Topolsky (born October 19, 1977) is an American technology journalist. He is also a record producer, and DJ under the stage name Joshua Ryan. Topolsky was the co-founder and editor-in-chief of technology news network The Verge, and a co-creator of its parent company Vox Media.[2] Previously, he was the editor-in-chief of Engadget.

Joshua Topolsky
Topolsky at South by Southwest in 2017
Topolsky at SXSW in 2017
Born
Joshua Ryan Topolsky

(1977-10-19) October 19, 1977
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.[1]
OccupationJournalist
Known forEngadget, This Is My Next, The Verge, The Outline
SpouseLaura June

On August 4, 2014, Topolsky stepped down from The Verge and Vox Media to join Bloomberg "as the editor of a series of new online ventures it is introducing as part of a revamped journalism strategy".[3] He left Bloomberg in July 2015 after clashes with Michael Bloomberg over the direction of its digital media strategy[4] and started the digital news company The Outline.

Journalism

Between August 2008 and March 2011, Topolsky was the editor-in-chief of the technology blog Engadget.[5] Since 2009, he has been the technology correspondent for NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and then The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In March 2011, he resigned his position at Engadget.[6]

Following his departure from Engadget, Topolsky began a new site called This Is My Next, a temporary home for him and his ex-Engadget colleagues as they built a new technology network.[7] Like Engadget, the website included a wide variety of technology news, reviews, and editorials. The website name is a play on a phrase Topolsky often says when reviewing a device that he especially likes (e.g. "This is my next phone."). Topolsky's team at This Is My Next included former Engadget editors and contributors including Paul Miller, Nilay Patel, Joanna Stern, Chris Ziegler, and others.

On July 18, 2011, Topolsky announced on Late Night that he and his team were developing a new permanent network called The Verge.[8] The Verge launched on November 1, 2011, with Topolsky as the founding editor-in-chief.[7] He appears in many of the audio and video podcasts that the site releases as well as writing articles. He has appeared on Fallon's shows several times since the announcement of the site with products the site has reviewed that he showcases to the audience.

The New York Times reported on July 24, 2014, that Topolsky would be leaving The Verge on August 4, 2014, to pursue an editorial position at Bloomberg. The Times noted, "He will develop and run Bloomberg’s new ventures, which will cover specific topic areas such as politics and luxury."[3]

The New York Times reported on July 10, 2015, that Topolsky would be leaving Bloomberg Business after clashes with founder Michael Bloomberg. This follows a radical redesign of Bloomberg Business web properties.[9][10]

In April 2015, Topolsky started Tomorrow, a weekly podcast about current trends in technology, news, and culture. Each episode of Tomorrow features cohost Ryan Houlihan and a special guest, ranging from Google designer Matías Duarte to Topolsky's wife.[11]

In 2016, Topolsky pursued initial funding for a new digital media outlet. The company is titled Independent Media and launched its first publication, The Outline, on December 5.[12][13]

Music

Under the stage name Joshua Ryan, Topolsky was a well known trance music DJ[14] whose tracks were included on several gold certified compilation albums. His tracks have been licensed by Palm Pictures, Moonshine Music, Ministry of Sound, and Sony Music Entertainment (UK). In 1999, Fragrant Records released his single "Pistolwhip", which was re-released on NuLife Recordings in 2001 and reached number 29 on the UK Singles Chart.[15] Topolsky and his brother Eric Emm are known as the producing duo The Brothers.

Personal life

Topolsky lives outside New York with his wife, Laura June, who was also an editor at The Verge and now writes for various publications such as The Awl[16] and Jezebel,[17] and their daughter.[18] Topolsky was raised in a Jewish family.[19]

Discography

Solo work
  • "Hush" / "Doinyourheadin" - Slinkey Recordings 1997
  • "Don't Look Back" - Slinkey Recordings 1998
  • "Pistolwhip" - Fragrant Music 1999
  • "Pistolwhip" - NuLife Recordings 2000
  • "Thunderclap" - Fragrant Music 2000
  • "Unreal" - Crush Recordings 2000
  • "All" / "Ison" - System Recordings 2001
  • "Buildings in Between" - System Recordings 2003
  • "Buildings in Between" (remixes) - System Recordings 2003
  • "By Design" - System Recordings 2003
  • "Fury" - System Recordings 2003
  • "Damage" - Alpha Numeric 2004
  • "Blueness" - System Recordings 2005

Remixes

See also

References
  1. "Birth Announcements - Page 38". Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle. November 24, 1977. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
  2. Somaiya, Ravi (July 24, 2014). "Bloomberg Hires a Founder of The Verge to Lead Online Initiatives". The New York Times.
  3. Somaiya, Ravi (July 24, 2014). "Josh Topolsky of the Verge is Joining Bloomberg". The New York Times.
  4. Somaiya, Ravi (July 10, 2015). "Web Chief Joshua Topolsky to Leave Bloomberg as Staff Tensions Surface". newyorktimes.com.
  5. Swisher, Kara (April 4, 2011). "AOL Confirms Tim Stevens as New Engadget Editor in Chief". All Things Digital. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
  6. Topolsky, Joshua (March 12, 2011). "Hello, I must be going". Engadget. AOL. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
  7. "This is my next". joshuatopolsky.com. April 2011.
  8. "TechTycoons - Joshua Topolsky". TechTycoons.com.
  9. Rhodes, Margaret. "Haters to the Side: Bloomberg's Loud Redesign Heralds the Future of Web News". Wired.
  10. Somaiya, Ravi (July 10, 2015). "Joshua Topolsky, Bloomberg Web Chief, Said to Be Leaving Company". The New York Times.
  11. Westenberg, Jimmy (November 2, 2015). "Listen to Matias Duarte talk design on Joshua Topolsky's Tomorrow podcast". androidauthority.com.
  12. "The Verge Co-Founder Josh Topolsky Is Raising Money to Launch a Media Startup". vox.com. January 13, 2016.
  13. Shields, Mike (December 5, 2016). "Former Bloomberg Editor Joshua Topolsky Launches 'The Outline'". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved December 5, 2016.
  14. "Trance Nation: The Collection Box set". amazon.com.uk.
  15. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 476. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  16. "The Awl". theawl.com.
  17. June, Laura (June 3, 2015). "The Life of Djuna Barnes, Stunt Reporter and Shocking Modernist". pictorial.jezebel.com.
  18. "Instagram post by Joshua Topolsky • Mar 31, 2014 at 1:14am UTC". Instagram. Archived from the original on December 24, 2021.
  19. "TechTycoons - Joshua Topolsky". TechTycoons.com.
  20. "Tanlines: "Brothers (Joshua Ryan Remix) / Tracks / Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved July 21, 2012.
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