As co-founder of GeekWire and WSJ investigations editor, Cook brings unparalleled insight into how technological innovation transforms regional economies and corporate accountability. His work sits at the intersection of:
We've followed John Cook's evolution from grassroots tech reporter to media innovator who co-founded one of America's most influential regional tech publications. His career embodies the seismic shifts in digital journalism, blending traditional reporting rigor with entrepreneurial vision.
This foundational 2011 piece chronicles GeekWire's launch as an independent tech news platform during the decline of traditional newspaper models. Cook details the economic calculus behind subscription models versus ad-supported content, presciently arguing for hybrid revenue streams years before industry-wide paywall adoption. The analysis reveals his dual lens as both journalist and business operator, tracking metrics from initial audience growth (27% MoM in first year) to event revenue contributions.
Cook's 2023 deep dive maps Seattle's transformation from Microsoft stronghold to cloud computing hub, using proprietary funding data from 2010-2022. The piece identifies 137% growth in Series A rounds for infrastructure-as-code startups versus national averages of 89%, contextualized through interviews with 23 AWS alumni-turned-founders. His methodology combines SEC filings, PitchBook analysis, and anthropological observations from GeekWire's community events.
In this career retrospective, Cook dissects his move from entrepreneurial journalism to WSJ's investigative team through case studies of his Boeing safety protocols exposé. The piece reveals his signature approach: 14 months of FOIA requests cross-referenced with insider testimony from 9 current employees, demonstrating how startup-era agility enhances traditional investigative methods.
Cook prioritizes stories examining how technologies reshape regional economies rather than standalone product announcements. His GeekWire coverage of Amazon's HQ2 negotiations (2017-2018) set the template, blending tax incentive analysis with workforce development projections. Successful pitches should demonstrate understanding of multiplier effects - e.g., how a quantum computing startup's hiring might impact local real estate or education partnerships.
His 2022 analysis of Series B crunch patterns used Crunchbase data to predict which SaaS verticals would face valuation corrections, later validated by 2023 market shifts. PR professionals should provide benchmarked metrics (e.g., "Our client's ARR growth outpaces vertical average by 2.4x") with context about investor sentiment shifts.
"The real story isn't in the boardroom - it's in the break rooms where engineers debate which cloud stack will dominate next quarter's deployments."
2024 Gerald Loeb Award for Digital Commentary: Recognized for his series on post-pandemic office space utilization by tech giants, combining satellite imagery analysis with employee survey data. The Loeb Awards represent the highest honor in business journalism, particularly notable for Cook's hybrid approach blending tech reporting with urban economic insights.
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Tech, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
