Madeline Stone is a senior correspondent at Business Insider, where she covers e-commerce, corporate culture, and startup ecosystems. With a career spanning nearly a decade, she has become a definitive voice on platforms like Amazon and Shopify, blending investigative rigor with nuanced storytelling.
Based in the Northeastern U.S., Stone mentors with Girls Write Now and holds degrees from the University of Notre Dame. Her bylines have influenced corporate policy shifts at Amazon and Shopify, cementing her reputation as a journalist who bridges boardroom strategies with grassroots realities.
Madeline Stone has carved a niche as a leading voice in e-commerce journalism, tracing the seismic shifts in digital retail, corporate culture, and startup ecosystems. A graduate of the University of Notre Dame with dual majors in American Studies and Spanish, she began her career at Business Insider in 2015, initially editing retail stories before transitioning to reporting. Her early work focused on luxury real estate and executive lifestyles, but she quickly pivoted to tech and e-commerce, where her analytical rigor and investigative depth found fertile ground.
By 2018, Stone became a correspondent specializing in e-commerce giants like Amazon and Shopify, as well as emerging players such as Temu and Shein. Her reporting often highlights the human stories behind corporate strategies—whether profiling entrepreneurs in the “Shopify Mafia” or exposing the fallout from Flexport’s turbulent layoffs. Over the past decade, she has documented the rise of direct-to-consumer brands, the gig economy’s impact on small sellers, and the ethical dilemmas faced by tech-driven marketplaces.
This investigative piece scrutinizes Wealth Assistants, a firm that promised to guide Amazon sellers to profitability but left many in financial ruin. Stone combines firsthand accounts from 14 clients with internal company documents to reveal systemic issues in the unregulated “Amazon coaching” industry. Her methodology included cross-referencing seller profit-loss statements with Wealth Assistants’ marketing claims, exposing a pattern of overpromising and underdelivering. The article sparked discussions about accountability in third-party seller ecosystems and was cited in regulatory debates about e-commerce mentorship programs.
Stone delves into the gender disparities within the direct-to-consumer (DTC) sector, interviewing over 30 female founders and employees who describe exclusionary practices at industry events. By contrasting public narratives of inclusivity with private experiences of marginalization, she uncovers a cultural rift in startup communities. The piece features anonymized testimonials about sexist remarks and unequal networking opportunities, prompting major DTC brands to revise event policies and amplify diversity initiatives.
This article dissects the human cost of Flexport’s aggressive expansion and subsequent layoffs, weaving together interviews with 11 former employees. Stone traces the logistics startup’s acquisition of Shopify’s Deliverr unit, highlighting mismanagement and communication breakdowns that led to plummeting morale. Her analysis of severance packages and stock option disputes underscores broader trends in tech-sector labor practices, making it a touchstone for discussions about post-pandemic corporate restructuring.
Stone’s coverage of Shopify’s ecosystem—including her profile of 38 “Shopify Mafia” entrepreneurs—demonstrates her interest in how startups scale within platform-dependent markets. Pitches should focus on companies grappling with supply-chain innovations or unique customer retention strategies. For example, her analysis of Flexport’s acquisition of Deliverr revealed how logistical hurdles can derail even well-funded ventures, so case studies with clear stakes and solutions will resonate.
Her exposé on gender dynamics in DTC communities shows a knack for interrogating workplace equity issues. Stories about remote-work policies, diversity in leadership, or employee resource groups within e-commerce firms align with her focus. Avoid surface-level DEI updates; instead, provide data-driven narratives, such as how a company’s retention rates changed after implementing specific inclusion measures.
Stone’s Wealth Assistants investigation underscores her commitment to holding middlemen in platforms like Amazon accountable. Pitches could explore new regulatory impacts on seller fees, AI-driven tools for small businesses, or comparative analyses of seller support across marketplaces (e.g., Amazon vs. Etsy). Primary sources—seller interviews, leaked internal communications—are essential to meet her evidentiary standards.
While Stone covers tech-adjacent topics, her work centers on software-driven commerce rather than physical devices or blockchain applications. Pitches about NFT marketplaces or IoT retail devices are unlikely to gain traction unless they directly intersect with her core beats, such as a Shopify app integrating crypto payments.
Articles like her Flexport layoff story thrive on candid founder and employee testimonials. Pitches that reveal unvarnished challenges—failed product launches, leadership pivots, or stakeholder conflicts—will appeal to her preference for narratives that balance ambition with accountability.
While Madeline Stone’s accolades are not explicitly listed in public databases, her influence is evident in the industry conversations shaped by her reporting. For instance, her 2023 investigation into Wealth Assistants prompted Amazon to issue warnings about third-party coaching services, a policy shift cited in Retail Dive and Modern Retail. Additionally, her essay on Shopify’s corporate culture—framing companies as “sports teams, not families”—was widely circulated among HR leaders and inspired panels at tech conferences.
“The DTC world sells itself as a progressive utopia, but its events often feel like a throwback to fraternity formals—where women are guests, not founders.”
Wealth Assistants claimed it would help its clients make money on Amazon. Clients said they 'lost everything' instead.
The DTC fraternity: In an industry known for lively events and strong online communities, women say they feel left out
Ex-Shopify and Deliverr workers say layoffs, compensation issues at Flexport capped a 15-month rollercoaster: 'Honestly a bit relieved that it's over'
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 Business, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
