Tech Correspondent

POLITICO; California; On-site; USD 145,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

POLITICO in California seeks an aggressive reporter to cover how the tech industry shapes the political landscape, working with White House, Congress and regulators across America. The beat includes OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, Nvidia and more, with a deep source network and enterprise reporting.

You will explain policy fights, lobbying and the industry’s influence on policy, while collaborating across POLITICO’s California, Washington and global teams to deliver timely, authoritative

Qualifications

• Significant reporting experience covering tech, politics, policy and government.
• Proven ability to break news with incisive, original reporting.
• Established network of sources among tech executives, policymakers and lobbyists.
• Strong understanding of the tech industry and regulatory forces shaping it.
• Ability to cultivate sources and manage confidential information.

Responsibilities

• Break political and policy news with enterprise reporting on tech companies and AI.
• Explain complex tech, policy and regulatory developments for a broad audience.
• Develop sources among executives, investors, lobbyists and policymakers.
• Collaborate with POLITICO California, Washington and global tech teams to connect Silicon Valley with policy battles.
• Deliver on fast-moving news while producing longer-term investigative pieces.

Skills

Investigative reporting

Breaking news

Source development

Tech policy understanding

Relationship building

Education

Bachelor's degree in journalism

Tools

Lexis/Nexis

Job description

Job Description

POLITICO is seeking an aggressive, enterprising reporter to cover how the tech industry is shaping the new political landscape. You will focus on how leading companies and executives are positioning themselves with the White House, Congress and regulators across America; which policies they’re advancing or fighting; who they’re lobbying and how Silicon Valley is preparing for the 2028 presidential campaign.

The beat will cover the companies at the center of the tech and AI industries — including OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Meta, Nvidia and xAI — as well as the executives, founders, investors, lobbyists and political operatives driving the industry’s relationship with Washington and the states.

A deep source network among the biggest tech players in Silicon Valley and Washington will be essential. Those sources will drive breaking news on the tech industry’s political strategy, lobbying campaigns, corporate relationships and policy priorities, along with distinctive reporting on the personalities behind the industry’s growing political clout.

The beat will focus closely on who has the ear of President Trump, which executives are gaining access to the White House, who is building relationships on Capitol Hill, which tech leaders are becoming political players and how rivalries, alliances and personal relationships are influencing the industry’s political approach.

The policy portfolio will include artificial intelligence, antitrust and competition, data privacy, copyright, content moderation, online platforms, cryptocurrency, semiconductors, export controls, data centers and the tech workforce. The job will involve explaining the policy fights that matter most to Silicon Valley and, crucially, how the industry is seeking to influence them — through lobbying, political organizing, coalition-building and direct engagement with policymakers.

The beat will also explore the competing visions within Silicon Valley over AI policy, the growing influence of AI companies and investors, and the battles over regulation that could define the industry’s future. Following the money and political capital will be a key piece of the job: which companies are spending to influence policy, which lobbyists and advisers are gaining influence, what trade groups are prioritizing, which executives are becoming donors and advisers and how companies are positioning themselves on the biggest political and policy questions.

The reporter will dive in on how presidential candidates are courting Silicon Valley, which tech executives and investors are choosing sides, what the industry wants from the next administration and how tech executives are working to influence the candidates who could ultimately set tech policy.

The job will require someone who can move comfortably between Silicon Valley and Washington — someone who understands the tech industry on its own terms but can also recognize the political stakes behind its biggest decisions.

Breaking news, cultivating high-level sources and producing ambitious enterprise will be central to the role, with a focus on explaining how Silicon Valley is positioning itself, building influence and trying to determine what comes next.

The position will work closely with POLITICO’s teams to connect developments in Silicon Valley with policy and political battles in Washington, Brussels and other tech and political centers around the world.

What You’ll Need

• Significant reporting experience covering tech, politics, policy and government.
• A demonstrated ability to break news and deliver incisive, original reporting.
• A deep understanding of the tech industry and the political and regulatory forces shaping it.
• An established network of sources among tech executives, founders, investors, policymakers, lobbyists, lawyers and political operatives — or the ability to build one quickly.
• Experience covering companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, Nvidia, xAI or other leading tech companies is highly valued.
• A track record of developing sources who can provide proprietary information about corporate strategy, executive relationships, lobbying efforts and political activity.
• A strong interest in the personalities, relationships and power dynamics shaping Silicon Valley and Washington.
• The ability to identify and cultivate sources among executives, lobbyists and political figures defining the tech industry’s relationship with government.
• The ability to write clearly, accurately and efficiently on deadline.
• The ability to juggle fast-moving breaking news with ambitious enterprise and investigative reporting.
• Smart, innovative story ideas and a relentless drive to be first on consequential stories.
• The ability to explain complex tech, political and policy developments clearly for an influential audience.
• A collaborative spirit and willingness to work with reporters and editors across POLITICO’s California, Washington and global tech teams.
• A rigorous commitment to fair-minded, accurate and nonpartisan journalism.

The anticipated salary range is $145,000–$160,000 per year. The final salary offered will be based on factors including relevant experience, skills, and qualifications.

About Us.

POLITICO illuminates the forces shaping global power. Since 2007, we have delivered intelligence that anticipates tomorrow's headlines, not reports on yesterday's news. As politics has increasingly become the defining force of our era, our work has never been more vital.

Cabinet secretaries and Ministers start their mornings with our analysis. CEOs shape strategy around our reporting. Advocacy leaders rely on our insights to move policy. We deliver the straightforward facts and clear-eyed analysis they need to navigate the most complex political landscape of our lifetimes.

Our 1,100+ publishing professionals across the world's key democratic capitals—Washington, Brussels, London, Paris, Berlin, Sacramento, and New York—form the world's premier politics and policy newsroom. We tell the story of how power really works by explaining who wields it and how they plan to exercise it, connecting dots others miss and delivering scoops from sources others don't even know exist.

Innovation has always been a core tenet of our story. At launch, we bet that depth would trump scale, that talent would trump traffic, and that politics would become central to modern life. In 2011, we made another bet and launched POLITICO Pro to help decision-makers understand the business of government, transforming both how they shape government action and the business of journalism itself.

These bets have made POLITICO the most successful digital news startup of its generation and the indispensable resource for leaders who shape the future. Today, we are a rarity in media: a growing, profitable, and sustainable news organization.

POLITICO is a subsidiary of Axel Springer SE, a family-owned transatlantic media company headquartered in Berlin and New York. Axel Springer is dedicated to shaping the future of journalism in the free world, believing that a free and informed society is essential to democracy. The company’s guiding principles - first articulated as The Essentials by founder Axel Springer in the aftermath of World War II - remain a cornerstone of the company’s foundation today. Learn more about Axel Springer.