WIRED: Hey.
Katie: Hey … ?
WIRED: That’s us. The collective consciousness of the WIRED editorial staff helps tell the story of The Big Interview series.
Katie: Is this AI?
WIRED: Katie, what is the big interview?
Katie: Is it weird to be interviewed by your own publication?
WIRED: Hey, you created this monster. Answer my questions.
Katie: These are conversations we (you and I, the collective mind at WIRED) have with people we care about, who we find interesting, and who are shaping our shared future in some way. They don’t necessarily have to be tech executives or world-renowned scientists. These conversations can span the full range of fields we cover at WIRED.
WIRED: like what?
Katie: it’s not you You know WIRED? You know it, right? We cover the tech industry and science, but also internet culture, politics, digital security, celebrities, and innovation in all its forms. We love covering it all and getting to know the freaks, nerds, weirdos, and rock stars (literally and figuratively) who are at the forefront of creating it all.
WIRED: The WIRED collective mind would like to remind everyone that we don’t do celebrity PR.
Katie: These interviews aren’t PR. They’re not adversarial by definition. And we’re not trying to trick anyone into saying something stupid or newsworthy. But there’s no stopping them if they do one or the other, or both. We think WIRED is a pretty thoughtful place, and these interviews are meant to be thoughtful conversations between two smart people who make sense as a pair. We want readers to walk away feeling truly understood. know The subject of your interview, your hopes and dreams, your deepest fears, what you had for breakfast, whether you ever hallucinated after taking nitrous oxide in a dental office or during an extended interaction with an employee.
WIRED: Are you okay, boss?
Katie: It’s been a long year.
WIRED: Speaking of the existential stress of running a media business these days; read Already? Everyone is watching TikTok these days, so why are you releasing so many interviews?
Katie: Yes, some of you are still reading. That’s great. But we’re not just publishing our Big Interview series as text anymore (we’ve been doing that since 2022). We’re also publishing many of these conversations as episodes of a new YouTube series. And in December we’re doing a full-day event in San Francisco called “The Big Interview.” Mira Murati will be there. Jensen Huang will be there. And gold medalist Olympian Phil Wizard will be there.
WIRED: Ah, those are all big issues.
Katie: know.
WIRED: But what important interviews will be airing here and on YouTube?
Katie: Didn’t one of you guys commission and edit these interviews?
WIRED: Come play with us, Katie. We’re having fun.
Katie: Well, we talked to a lot of great people. We talked to Mark Cuban and his new pharmaceutical “disruption.” We talked to Josh Johnson. The Daily Showthe future of politics and comedy. I spoke with Signal Foundation President Meredith Whitaker about surveillance and AI, which is a great talk. I spoke with Secretary of State Antony Blinken about cybersecurity. And we have a lot more in the works. We’re also going to be doing a special edition.
WIRED: I’m really excited and can’t wait to chat again in a few months and hear how it goes.
Katie: Will we ever…talk again?
WIRED: My next teeth cleaning is in mid-February, and I wonder if I will be using nitrous oxide again, which is on the dental office’s comfort menu?
Katie: After this exchange, I honestly don’t know.
WIRED: Happy editing, boss. See you soon.
