I got to know Alex Heath during an earlier incarnation – maybe his Business Insider days? But always knew his entrepreneurial streak would lead him to do his own thing at some point, and now he has! Sources.news is his tech publication, covering “what’s next for AI and the tech industry.” Worth subscribing! I wanted to know more about this transition so here’s Five Questions with Alex.
Hunter Walk: You recently started Sources, which you describe as covering “what’s next for AI and the tech industry, featuring original reporting and unique access to the companies at the forefront of the AI race.” Why is this a beat you thought best done indie as opposed to inside an existing entity? Or was the motivation something different?
Alex Heath: I went indie for two simple reasons: it’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a few years, and everyone I know who has done it is glad they did. AI is the biggest story in tech ever (and maybe the world?), and it’s an area I’ve been steadily increasing my focus on over the last few years. It’s not so much that I thought the beat was best done on my own, but it is freeing to cover these crazy times in a way that is totally authentic to my interests and style.
With the podcast, Ellis Hamburger and I want ACCESS to feel more like your favorite tech interview/talk show. We sometimes talk about ‘Smartless for tech,’ but we are only a few months in and still figuring out the vibe. We’re not dumbing down topics for a mass audience, but we always want it to feel entertaining. I see ACCESS as part of the same cinematic universe as Sources, but it’s where I get to be less of the ‘reporter’ and just hang out more.
HW: From the folks who’ve gone Indie before you, who do you particularly admire and what is Sources borrowing/evolving from them?
AH: Our mutual friend Casey Newton has been a huge inspiration and has pushed me to do this for a long time. I really admire how Emily Sunderberg is 100% herself and such a natural at taking advantage everything that makes the Substack ecosystem unique. Stylistically, I’m probably closest to Matt Beloni. If I could build something half as relevant to the tech industry as what he has built for Hollywood, I’ll consider Sources to be a success.
HW: When a source shares news with you, how do you decipher what their motivation might be, and how does your estimation of their trustworthiness factor into how you use that information?
AH: It’s pretty easy to tell this upfront. Usually, people share information they shouldn’t because they feel slighted, want to force change, or just like to gossip. Often, I find that the people on the other side of leaks discount the prevalence of that third reason. Motivation doesn’t really impact trustworthiness if I’m getting verifiable facts (internal docs, chat logs, etc.), but I always try to corroborate and assume the worst intentions from the start when engaging with a new source. There’s probably nothing that bothers me more than getting something wrong.
HW: An aspiring new grad tech reporter asks you for one piece of career advice – what would you tell them?
AH: Do your damndest to become a world top-three expert in a specific, valuable niche of tech reporting. I spent about a decade trying to be the best social media reporter in the world, and not to toot my own horn, but as far as I can tell, I have more scoops under my belt on Meta and the other key social media companies than anyone else. For awhile, I knew Facebook’s org chart better than a lot of people I talked to who worked there. That’s the kind of obessive detail you have to be willing to drill into as a baby reporter.
Right now, if I were a new to this, I would try to become the single greatest OpenAI or Anthropic reporter in the world and manically cover the ins and outs of those two companies. If you start breaking news there and can be consistent, your career will be set.
HW: Looking back over the last few years, what’s a person, company or trend that you were sure was going to be really important and ended up being less impactful? On the other hand, what’s something that you largely ignored but then became too big to not cover (or maybe you just got religion late)?
AH: While it’s more relevant now, I certainly thought augmented reality glasses would be a bigger deal than they are today. I covered AR and VR a lot over the last decade based on the investments and hopes the leading players in the space were projecting. It’s taken a lot longer to hit as a category than everyone thought, though I do think this will be an interesting year with new Meta glasses, the return of Google Glass, and Snap’s consumer Specs glasses coming out. AI is also making the form factor more compelling, which dovetails nicely with my past and current reporting focus.
I deeply regret not paying more attention to AI as a field before the release of ChatGPT. Like everyone, I’m certainly paying attention now!
Thanks Alex! Folks should check out Sources!!!
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