Ask a tech CEO where they get their news and you'll get a vague, PR-friendly answer like, "Oh, a mix of sources." Cute. But let's be honest—tech people don't read news. Theyforage for it. They graze across the internet like hummingbirds, selectively sipping from very weird flowers.
After years in this ecosystem, here's the truth: the modern founder, engineer, and AI-obsessed human builds a custom, chaotic, semi-feral information diet. And yes, it says a lot about us.
The morning ritual is universal: open laptop → coffee → Hacker News → existential dread → build anyway. If tech has a global town square, this is it. A mix of news, flame wars, startup lore, and anonymous therapy.
Techmeme: All Plot, No Drama
Techmeme is the news without the noise. A real-time editorial feed of what's actually happening in tech. Journalists love it. CEOs pretend they don't rely on it. Everyone checks it.
Reddit: Chaotic Good
r/technology, r/programming, r/MachineLearning — basically group chat for the entire tech industry. Insightful? Often. Chaotic? Always. But if engineers are quietly panicking about something, it'll show up here first.
Twitter/X: The Tech Telepathy Network
Real-time signal, real-time noise. Founders, VCs, AI researchers, and people who have very strong opinions about YAML all congregate here. Pro tip: make Lists. Otherwise, you'll lose your mind.
Substack: The Deep Thinker Zone
Once upon a time everyone had a podcast. Now everyone has a Substack. Engineers love the deep dives. CEOs love the thought leadership. PMs copy-paste it into strategy decks and hope no one notices.
Feedly: Build-Your-Own Newspaper
Feedly is for completionists — people who curate RSS feeds like they're assembling a personal OS. Engineering blogs, AI updates, weird niche newsletters… this is the ultimate "tactical news stack."
Product Hunt: The Startup Pulse
New tools, new AI toys, new SaaS every day. If Hacker News is the town square, Product Hunt is the farmers' market. You can literally watch the future get shipped in real time.
Tech people don't trust traditional news because traditional news doesn't speak our language. We build our own feeds, our own streams, our own weird rituals.
The modern tech news diet is decentralized, chaotic, and extremely online — just like the industry itself.
So next time someone asks where tech leaders get their news, you can tell them the truth: everywhere, all at once, and from sources your grandparents have definitely never heard of.
P.S. – If you still use Facebook for tech news, blink twice and we'll send help.