Derek Kahn Thompson (born May 18, 1986) is an American journalist. He is a staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of Hit Makers: How to Succeed in an Age of Distraction.
Derek Thompson | |
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Born | (1986-05-18) May 18, 1986 (age 36) McLean, U.S. |
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Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Northwestern University |
Derek Thompson was born in McLean, Virginia, the son of Robert Thompson and Petra Kahn, both deceased.[1] [2] Before graduating from high school, he appeared in several theatrical productions at the Folger Shakespeare Theater[3] and the Shakespeare Theater.[4] Thompson graduated from Northwestern University in 2008.[5]
Thompson has been a writer at The Atlantic since 2009.[6] Starting in November 2021, Thompson began hosting a weekly headline podcast entitled Plain English, part of The Ringer Podcast Network.[7] In 2018, he became the host of the technology and science podcast Crazy/Genius, which was nominated for an iHeartMedia Best Podcast Award in its first year.[8]
Thompson has written two cover stories for the magazine. The first, "A World Without Work", is a widely referenced[9][10] essay on the meaning of work and automation's threat to the labor force. The second was a lengthy profile of X, the research and development division of Alphabet.[11]
In 2017, Thompson published his first book, Hit Makers: How to Succeed in an Age of Distraction. It was a national bestseller[12] and winner of the American Marketing Association's Leonard L. Berry Marketing Book Award for the best marketing book of 2018.[13]
On July 27, 2020, Thompson coined the term "hygiene theater" when referring to hygiene measures being taken during the COVID-19 pandemic that have done little to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and have provided a false sense of security.[14][15]
Thompson lives in Washington D.C.[16]
Since 2016 he has been a member of Giving What We Can, a community of people who have pledged to give at least 10% of their income to effective charities.[17]
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