Leaving the Mercury News for the New York Times
By Vindu Goel
Wednesday, March 19th, 2008 at 10:13 am in General, Journalism.
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After almost nine years at the Mercury News, I’m leaving to join the New York Times as a deputy technology editor. I will be helping the Times expand its coverage of technology, particularly on the Web.
I’ve had a great run at the Merc, first as an editor, and then as an editorial writer, blogger and columnist. I’ve worked with tremendously talented, dedicated people. I’ve learned something new about the world every single day. And I’ve had a lot of fun working on stories great and small.
But I couldn’t resist the opportunity to go play on the news industry’s equivalent of Broadway. If the Merc is the newspaper of Silicon Valley, the Times is the newspaper of the United States. And as the Web increasingly becomes the future of the news business, the Times is striving to establish itself as the most trusted, most thorough, most important source of general news for readers around the world.
As I talked to folks at the NYT, it was clear to me that the organization has come a long way from the stodgy “gray lady” that I interned at 20 years ago. The Times, which has always been a great newspaper, is thinking creatively about new ways to present news and connect with readers, and it’s committing resources to the effort even as it wrestles with the same economic pressures that face the entire newspaper industry.
I’ll be working at the Mercury News through April 1, so you can still contact me there for the next couple of weeks. But I’ve also set up a new email account, vindugoel@gmail.com, which you can use to reach me now and in the future. I’m on Facebook and LinkedIn, so feel free to connect with me there.
And, hey, I’ll still be spending a lot of time in Silicon Valley. No matter how wondrous the technologies invented here, there’s no substitute for real, live, face-to-face communication.
[Both comments and pings are currently closed.]
March 19th, 2008 at 10:59 am
Good luck Vindu. You’re the man.
March 19th, 2008 at 11:26 am
Sad to see you go. Who else is going to be our advocate for ultra high speed internet here? Maybe when you are at the New York Times, you can do an article about how certain tech-savvy regions aren’t going to get fiber to the premises in their lifetime.
March 19th, 2008 at 11:41 am
way to go vindu!
March 19th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
[…] I just found out a guy I’ve hiked with several times — Vindu Goel, who also is a tech columnist for the Mercury News — has just been hired away by the New York Times. That’s him at Mount Diablo in the picture. He’s going to be a deputy technology editor at the Times. Here’s his latest blog posting on the move. […]
March 19th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Congrats, Vindu! A smart move by a smart guy.
March 19th, 2008 at 1:18 pm
Congrats Vindu!
March 19th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
Adios Amigo!
March 19th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
vindu: wait, apple just announced that it is making a hostile take-over bid for … the merc needs a blog item, an early column for mn.com and a page one column that gives a 30,000-foot view while still feeling close to SV. you don’t have time to move!
the nyt is lucky to have you. congrats and help rock that tech coverage.
March 20th, 2008 at 12:33 am
Vindu:
With you and Dean gone, your blogs are history. That puts DocuDrama in perfect position to take the number 1 slot as the Merc’s leading business blog. Hahahahahahahah! We will crush Square Feet!
March 20th, 2008 at 10:31 am
Vindu:
We’ll miss you and your great local reporting.
“Last person at the Mercury, be sure to turn out the lights.”
Russ
March 20th, 2008 at 10:35 am
Hey Vindu. Congrats on this move. I was hoping you’d find a great place to land — this sounds perfect. I look forward to hearing of your success at the NYT.
Best wishes,
Carole
March 20th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
Congratulations, Vindu! A friend of mine at the NYT mentioned this to me before I saw it online. A good move for you, a good move by the NYT!
John Orr
March 21st, 2008 at 8:55 am
Vindu,
The writing has been on the wall for some time for me, as the Mercury appears to be in a major downsizing mode as your popularity, skill, and talent are in an upsizing mode. I will greatly miss your column and our adventures.
Best of luck to you in NYC and I’ll see you on Broadway!
Your trans-State Bud,
Clyde of Vindu and Clyde’s Big Adventure
http://yourtech.typepad.com/main/2005/08/road_trip_vindu.html
March 21st, 2008 at 10:30 pm
Congrats, Vindu! What a great gig.
March 23rd, 2008 at 12:42 pm
Thank you all for your kind wishes. It’s a fresh challenge for me, and I get to discover the wonders of New York City.
I’ll still be back in the valley from time to time, so stay in touch.