EXECUTIVE EDITOR, VENTUREBEAT # Carl *Franzen* Content leader. *Narrative innovator.* Award-winning journalism, tech communications and content leadership AN EDITORIAL LIFE ## Building publications. *Growing audiences.* Carl Franzen leads [VentureBeat](https://venturebeat.com/author/carlfranzen) as Executive Editor. His career brings together newsroom leadership, research storytelling, and experiments in how people create and experience stories. From the blogging and digital-media era to social publishing, mobile news, and the tablet’s touch interface, he has worked where new technology changes the way stories reach people. Across [The Atlantic](https://www.theatlantic.com/author/carl-franzen/), [News Corp.](https://newscorp.com/), [Talking Points Memo](https://talkingpointsmemo.com/), [Popular Science](https://www.popsci.com/authors/carl-franzen/), [The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/authors/carl-franzen), [Vice Media](https://www.vice.com/en/contributor/carl-franzen/) and more, he has carried that curiosity into editorial leadership: developing new formats, building teams, and helping established brands find new audiences. Today, his work at VentureBeat and independent AI projects extend that same approach into another transformation. The through line is a willingness to explore emerging tools early—and turn their possibilities into useful, engaging stories. 01 / THE THROUGH LINE ## One career. *Many innovative publications.* 2009—2013 ### The first *editions.* From the launch of [The Atlantic Wire](https://www.theatlantic.com/author/carl-franzen/) to [AOL News](https://www.aol.com/), [The Daily](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/dec/03/news-corp-close-ipad-the-daily), and [Talking Points Memo](https://talkingpointsmemo.com/): reporting and editing as news found new digital forms. - [2009 — The Atlantic Wire — Launch Intern](https://www.theatlantic.com/author/carl-franzen/) - [2010 — AOL News — Breaking News Editor](https://www.aol.com/) - [2010–2011 — The Daily — Overnight News Editor](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/dec/03/news-corp-close-ipad-the-daily) - [2011–2013 — Talking Points Memo — Tech Editor](https://talkingpointsmemo.com/) 2013—2017 ### Culture meets *technology.* News Editor at [The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/authors/carl-franzen). Digital Director at [Popular Science](https://www.popsci.com/authors/carl-franzen/). Managing Editor at [Motherboard/VICE](https://www.vice.com/en/contributor/carl-franzen/). Different publications, connected by curiosity about what comes next. - [2013–2014 — The Verge — News Editor](https://www.theverge.com/authors/carl-franzen) - [2015–2016 — Popular Science — Digital Director](https://www.popsci.com/authors/carl-franzen/) - [2016–2017 — Motherboard/VICE — Managing Editor](https://www.vice.com/en/contributor/carl-franzen/) 2017—2019 ### A newsroom, *in motion.* As Editor in Chief of [Inman](https://www.inman.com/), Franzen ran the newsroom, overseeing coverage, publishing schedules, and standards across reporting, video, and social media. - [2017–2019 — Inman — Editor in Chief](https://www.inman.com/) 2019—2022 ### Inside the *research.* At [Xerox](https://www.xerox.com/) and [Argo AI](https://www.autoweek.com/news/technology/a41789388/argo-ai-autonomous-developer-shutdown/), he worked with scientists and engineers to bring research out of the lab and into stories for public and business audiences. - [2019–2021 — Xerox — Storyteller-in-Residence](https://www.xerox.com/) - [2021–2022 — Argo AI — Senior Digital Media Specialist](https://www.autoweek.com/news/technology/a41789388/argo-ai-autonomous-developer-shutdown/) 2022—2023 ### A publication *from the start.* As a founding editor of [Lyft Rev](https://www.lyft.com/), he helped create and launch the publication, shaping its voice, stories, standards, and publishing process. - [2022–2023 — Lyft Rev — A founding editor](https://www.lyft.com/) 2023—PRESENT ### The next *chapter.* At [VentureBeat](https://venturebeat.com/author/carlfranzen), first as Head of News and now Executive Editor, he leads coverage of AI and enterprise technology—and the people changing both. - [May 2023–present — VentureBeat — Head of News → Executive Editor (April 2024)](https://venturebeat.com/author/carlfranzen) - [Launched November 2025 — Prompt Scene — Conversations with AI artists](https://promptscene.substack.com) - [Launched February 2026 — One Big Story — Independent AI publication](https://onebigstory.xyz) 02 / SELECTED WORK ## High-quality reporting *& writing.* - [VENTUREBEAT · 2026 — Why I’m not worried about AI killing us all (and you shouldn’t be, either) — An argument that the real danger is people using AI against one another, not AI turning on humanity.](https://venturebeat.com/technology/why-im-not-worried-about-ai-killing-us-all-and-you-shouldnt-be-either) - [VENTUREBEAT · 2024 — AI is the sixth great revolution in filmmaking (and maybe the most important) — How AI video lets ordinary people turn imagination into film without actors, crews or equipment.](https://venturebeat.com/business/ai-is-the-sixth-great-revolution-in-filmmaking-and-maybe-the-most-important) - [VENTUREBEAT · 2024 — An interview with the most prolific jailbreaker of ChatGPT and other leading LLMs — Pliny the Prompter on jailbreaking leading AI models, and why it counts as red-teaming.](https://venturebeat.com/ai/an-interview-with-the-most-prolific-jailbreaker-of-chatgpt-and-other-leading-llms) - [VENTUREBEAT · 2023 — The AI feedback loop: Researchers warn of ‘model collapse’ as AI trains on AI-generated content — Researchers find that models trained on AI-generated data get worse with each generation.](https://venturebeat.com/ai/the-ai-feedback-loop-researchers-warn-of-model-collapse-as-ai-trains-on-ai-generated-content) - [LYFT REV · 2023 — Police Give More Speeding Tickets to Minority Rideshare Drivers Than White Ones, Data Shows — A study of Lyft and Florida data found minority drivers paid 23% to 34% more in fines.](https://www.lyft.com/blog/posts/police-give-more-speeding-tickets-to-minority-rideshare-drivers-than-white) - [LYFT REV · 2023 — Animal Overpasses Save Bambis … and Benjamins — Wildlife crossings get animals safely across highways and save millions in accident costs.](https://www.lyft.com/blog/posts/animal-overpasses-save-bambis-and-benjamins) - [XEROX · 2019 — Xerox Selects Clear as Its Inaugural Color of The Year 2020 — A playful announcement naming clear, the color of fishbowls and windows, Xerox’s first Color of the Year.](https://www.news.xerox.com/news/Xerox-selects-clear-as-its-Color-of-the-Year-2020) - [INMAN · 2017 — Climate Change Will Plunge The Real Estate Industry Into Chaos — NASA scientist Mika Tosca on how wildfires and flooding will threaten homes around the world.](https://www.inman.com/2017/10/19/climate-change-will-plunge-the-real-estate-industry-into-chaos/) - [VICE · 2015 — Watching People Snort Cocaine on Periscope Is Just the Beginning — What viewers owe one another when livestreams show illegal, stupid or dangerous acts.](https://www.vice.com/en/article/watching-people-snort-cocaine-on-periscope-is-just-the-beginning/) - [THE VERGE · 2013 — Ill-gotten gains: how many museums have stolen objects in their collections? — A feature on the push to return looted artifacts held in museum collections.](https://www.theverge.com/2013/5/13/4326306/museum-artifacts-looted-repatriation) 03 / AI MEDIA ## At the edge *of the possible.* - [01 / AI VIDEO — Alternate Worlds. AI video experiments. — WATCH ON YOUTUBE ↗](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1V_PIgZ_A7sxIh4Sce4GnQdvCioOOs3-) - [02 / CONVERSATIONS — The people behind the pictures. — PROMPT SCENE ↗](https://promptscene.substack.com) - [03 / EXPERIMENTS — A new way to tell the news. — ONE BIG STORY ↗](https://onebigstory.xyz) 04 / FICTION ## Other lives. *Possible worlds.* SHORT FICTION · VICE ### [The Perfect Porn ↗](https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-perfect-porn/) Science fiction published by VICE. SHORT FICTION ### [Brain Freeze ↗](https://carlfranzen.tumblr.com/post/701577530672644097/brain-freeze) Read the story on Carl’s writing archive. NOVEL · UNDER REPRESENTATION ### Off-Duty A science fiction novel exploring AI, work, and consciousness. Represented by Fleabane Literary. [Follow the project ↗](https://x.com/offduty2087) 05 / GALLERY ## AI for *creativity.* - Golden Age Sci-Fi - Neo Art Deco Manhattan - Red Mecha Firefighter - Inventor at Desk - Alien Bazaar - Solarpunk NYC - Epic Sci-Fi Portrait - Gargoyle City - Futuristic NYC Panorama - Robot Arm Cocktail - Art Nouveau Exoskeleton - Baroque Cybernetic Gentleman - Silver Shard Swarm - White Mecha - Avant-Garde Crowd - Anarchist Cyberpunk - Dust Storm Dystopia - Reality Shifter - NYC — Everyone Flies - Massive Structure - 70mm Epic - Society of Cyborgs - Silver Shards Spiral - Technological Cruciform - Synthetic Interface - Minimalist Avant-Garde Couple - Art Nouveau Brutalist Shops - Mecha Undercarriage Crew - Orange Spiral Robot - Minimalist Supertall Glass - Retro Mid-Century Poster - Mutagenic Technology - Metallic Avant-Garde Fashion - Golden Age Splash Page II - Biohacked Cybernetic Form - Retro Mid-Century Travel 06 / RECOGNITION ## Stories that *leave a mark.* - [10× — NAREE Awards — National Association of Real Estate Editors 2018–2019](https://www.naree.org/news/2020/10/23/naree-announces-12th-bruss-real-estate-book-award-winners-in-austin) - [2015 — Best Screenplay — Long Island International Film Expo — “Off-Duty”](https://longislandfilmexpo.com/2015-liife-nominees-winners/) - [2016 — DeBakey Award — Excellence in Medical Science Reporting — “Monkeys Drive Wheelchairs Using Thought Alone” — As editor · Popular Science](https://fbresearch.org/2016-debakey-journalism-award-winners) - [2017 — Webby Award — Motherboard / VICE — “Connected” — As managing editor](https://winners.webbyawards.com/2017/video-film/general-video-film/drama-individual-short-or-episode/15126/connected--motherboard) ## Contact Carl Franzen · Brooklyn, New York · [carlfranzen@gmail.com](mailto:carlfranzen@gmail.com) · [Resume (PDF)](https://carlfranzen.net/assets/resume.pdf) · [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlfranzen/) More: [About](https://carlfranzen.net/about/) · [Journalism](https://carlfranzen.net/journalism/) · [Projects](https://carlfranzen.net/projects/) · [Fiction](https://carlfranzen.net/fiction/) · [Speaking](https://carlfranzen.net/speaking/) · [Recognition](https://carlfranzen.net/recognition/)