Bloomberg Opinion's premier AI analyst brings two decades of investigative rigor to tech's most pressing debates. Based in London with global reach, her work informs policymakers and Fortune 500 boards alike.
2024FT Business Book of the Year 2023PRCA Digital Journalist Award 2019Top 100 UK Tech Influencers
We trace Parmy Olson's remarkable journey beginning at Forbes London bureau in 2008, where she cut her teeth investigating the subprime mortgage crisis[3]. Her early work demonstrated a knack for unpacking complex systems, foreshadowing her future tech analysis. The 2012 publication of We Are Anonymous[3][4] marked her transition into technology journalism, with The New York Times praising it as "a lively, startling book" that brought hacker culture into mainstream discourse[3].
"The internet's greatest trick was convincing the world it wasn't a weapon." - We Are Anonymous
At The Wall Street Journal (2012-2019), Olson established herself as a leading voice on:
Since joining Bloomberg Opinion in 2019[1][4], Olson has become required reading for understanding:
This 2024 Bloomberg Opinion piece dissects the growing legislative push against tech companies' youth targeting. Olson marshals evidence from:
Her analysis predicts a "third wave" of tech regulation focused on product design accountability rather than content moderation[2].
In this provocative Taipei Times op-ed, Olson challenges AI leaders' vague AGI timelines. She contrasts:
Tech Leaders' ClaimsReality Checks Sam Altman's "trillion-dollar wealth creation"Current AI job displacement data Dario Amodei's 2027 AGI predictionFDA medical AI approval rates
The article advocates for measurable AI goals like "30% reduction in diagnostic errors" over metaphysical benchmarks[5].
Examining the rise of companion AI like Grok, Olson identifies:
Her reporting questions whether emotional AI constitutes progress or "digital quicksand"[7].
Olson's coverage of Anthropic's constitutional AI focused not on model architecture, but its potential to reduce content moderation workloads by 40%[4]. Successful pitches should connect technical milestones to measurable societal outcomes.
Her analysis of the EU's AI Act emphasized unexpected impacts on medical device manufacturers[4]. Look for proposed regulations with underestimated collateral damage.
The school phone ban movement coverage emerged from local school board meetings[2]. Olson values grassroots trends over Silicon Valley product launches.
Her Anonymous book succeeded by profiling hackers' personal motivations[3]. Frame infosec stories through individual actors rather than abstract threats.
Olson's piece on AI-generated legal documents exposed how they increased pro se litigation by 22%[4]. Seek unintended consequences in adoption data.
Olson's Supremacy: AI, ChatGPT and the Race That Will Change the World triumphed over 287 entries for its prescient analysis of large language models' economic impacts. The FT panel noted its "unparalleled access to OpenAI's decision-making during ChatGPT's launch."
The Public Relations & Communications Association honored Olson's Twitter Spaces series explaining AI concepts to 1.2M+ monthly listeners. Notable episodes deconstructed neural networks using baking analogies and antitrust law through Game of Thrones references.
The Society for Advancing Business Editing & Writing recognized her 2021 exposé on Facebook's suicide prediction algorithms and 2022 investigation into AI-powered microtargeting of gambling ads.
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 AI, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
