Josh Ocampo of The New York Times interviews business reporter Tripp Mickle, who covers Apple for the newspaper.
Can you explain your beat to readers?
I cover Apple and now, Nvidia. One of the most fascinating things about the technology industry is that, without fail, it changes almost every three years thematically. There was a period when the major theme was regulators scrutinizing big tech firms. Now the entire tech industry has changed because of the introduction of ChatGPT and the rush to develop generative A.I.
More broadly, I’ll also write an occasional story about what’s happening in the business of A.I. For example, I recently wrote about how consultants at firms like McKinsey and Boston Consulting Group are making money from the rush to develop generative A.I.
What are some of the biggest challenges of your beat?
The biggest challenge is always getting people to talk. Apple has what I call a culture of corporate omertà, where they collectively take a vow of secrecy and don’t talk about the work that they’re doing. That makes it really challenging to write about the company in a way that’s illuminating for readers. You have to find people who are willing to open up and share stories about their work.
