About Brian X. Chen
I focus on the societal implications of the tech we use. That includes the erosion of privacy in an era of digital surveillance, the impact of A.I. on how we produce work and the inability to hear dialogue in streaming shows. I also write about the latest advancements in consumer-facing products like smartphones, fitness wearables, and VR headsets.
I’ve covered the technology industry for more than 15 years. I started my career at Macworld, a magazine focusing on Apple products, back when the Cupertino, Calif., company was still considered a tiny player in the PC market. Shortly after I started the job, I attended my first Apple event, where Steve Jobs unveiled the first iPhone. In subsequent years, I worked at Wired, covering technology as it rapidly evolved from a special interest to an indispensable utility.
Early Technology Adoption
I grew up an early adopter of technology. I started using the internet in the era of dial-up modems, AOL, and Prodigy; I vividly remember the jump to broadband cable modems. At the University of California, Davis, where I studied English literature and film, I was the news editor for the campus newspaper.
Ethical Standards
I strive to help consumers, not companies, and always work to be fair and accurate. I have a “no surprises” policy where I always give a subject a chance to comment on a story ahead of publication. I do not own stock in any of the companies I cover. If I am related to or involved with someone connected to a company I may cover, I excuse myself from the story. You can read The Times’s full ethics policy, which all Times journalists are committed to upholding.
Contact Information
I’m most reachable via email: brian [dot] chen [at] nytimes.com. If you’d like to tell me something securely, use the NYT’s secure tip line.
Technology Trends
Meta, Google, and others are driving a renaissance for voice assistants, but people have found the technology uncool for more than a decade.
Despite Mark Zuckerberg’s hope for the chatbot to be the smartest, it struggles with facts, numbers, and web search.
This fall, the company will begin allowing customers to replace broken parts with used iPhone components without its previous software limits.
The $700 Ai Pin, funded by OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Microsoft, can be helpful — until it struggles with tasks like doing math and crafting sandwich recipes.
Even if you manage to ditch your iPhone, Apple’s hooks are still there.
What happens when a columnist and a reporter use A.I. glasses to scan groceries, monuments, and zoo animals? Hilarity, wonder, and lots of mistakes ensued.
Roku recently changed its policy to make it even harder for customers to take legal action. It’s a reminder of how we need to protect ourselves.
A partnership would extend the long relationship between the companies that has helped deliver everything from maps to search on Apple’s devices.
Journalists at The New York Times are enjoying platformers, role-playing games, and Metroidvanias.
