Job Description

The Ken is a pan-Asian, subscribers-only digital publication headquartered out of Bengaluru, India. Founded in October 2016 by a team of experienced journalists and entrepreneurs, The Ken pioneered subscribers-only online business journalism in India and is backed by venture funding from Omidyar Network India and highly respected angel investors. Based across India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore, our talented and experienced team of reporters write original, analytical and deeply reported stories on business, internet, fintech, healthcare, telecom and edtech for over 30,000 paying subscribers spread across the world. Our reporters and editors are supported by an equally talented set of product experts, engineers, designers and marketers. The Ken\xe2\x80\x99s diverse subscriber community comprises innovative and successful entrepreneurs and senior executives, venture investors, knowledge professionals, policy makers, college students and dozens of the world\xe2\x80\x99s best-known companies. Technology, media and telecom (TMT) Technology coverage remains the mainstay at The Ken. Since 2016, The Ken has been known for its consistently deep and analytical coverage of the most ambitious companies, significant trends and active investors in the telecom, media and tech sectors\xe2\x80\x94which is the bedrock of an internet economy. We are looking for a curious, enterprising reporter who will write on the business of the internet, telecom, and media\xe2\x80\x94sectors that are nearly converging\xe2\x80\x94 and all the policies that shape these companies. The staff writer covering these beats will track tech companies both Indian and global, ranging from Apple to Microsoft to Amazon Web Services and Jio Platforms, and media tech companies like Netflix, DailyHunt. Here are some examples of what those stories could look like:

• In this story we looked at the challenge ahead for Jio Platform after the funding frenzy.

• This story on Google Cloud India looked at how the search giant has been poaching from its rival Amazon Web Services.

• Here, for instance, we uncovered how Amazon\xe2\x80\x99s ad business is eating into the market share of rivals Google and Facebook.

The reporter tracking this beat will help our readers see how companies\xe2\x80\x99 products, services, people, business decisions are shaping their fortunes in India. And also track how this sector is being disrupted by regulation and competitive forces. The writer will do this by forming deep connections in these companies, their vendors, policy makers, lawyers, and wider ecosystems to source and tell powerful stories about where things are headed, and why. But, why stories? Because it\xe2\x80\x99s not enough to merely report news. Or to just collate happenings and facts into an article, and hope for the readers to draw their inferences or figure out the significance of the chain of events. At The Ken we believe in writing original and deeply reported business stories with a strong narrative element. Whether a long-form feature or a sharp newsletter or data-driven analysis, we pay a lot of attention to getting our storytelling right. That means giving our writers enough time to report, write, and edit their stories\xe2\x80\x94on average around 10-12 days for one story. They are also given enough creative space to tell their stories using words and visuals. A team of editors and mentors works behind the scenes to provide valuable feedback from the ideation stage till the published final draft. And being a subscriber-driven organisation, the feedback doesn\xe2\x80\x99t stop after publishing. Our global community of subscribers is a rich daily source of feedback and learning around every story. And why you? Not many organisations these days ask what journalists want. Instead, roles are often structured around what they\xe2\x80\x99re expected to deliver. We like to think of it in reverse. Great journalism comes from newsrooms that place journalists and their interests, ambitions, and preferences at the centre of their storytelling. We started The Ken in 2016 with the desire to create a place where talented, ethical, and ambitious journalists could build and sustain a newsroom to tell important stories without being pressured to file \xe2\x80\x9cexclusives\xe2\x80\x9d, churn out copycat pieces, or meet impossible story \xe2\x80\x9ctargets\xe2\x80\x9d. Today, a Staff Writer at The Ken writes about 2-3 stories a month. Some also write their own weekly newsletters to build a stronger and more personal connect with their subscribers. Our journalists are supported to formulate their own point of view. The stories they do aren\xe2\x80\x99t thrust upon them, but come from their own innate desire to tell them. This means we\xe2\x80\x99re looking for reporters who want to learn and improve; tell their own original stories; and develop and hone their own points of view. Writing on the tech, media and telecom for The Ken means adding to its body of work. Over the years we have acquired the reputation of being the destination for reading the most important stories in this space. The stories catch the attention of a wide range of stakeholders from concerned users to decision and policy makers who are empowered to act based on the insights from the stories. An ideal candidate should have at least 3-4 years of experience as a reporter covering tech, telecom and internet startups; as an analyst or researcher covering the space; or as a hands-on professional within the sector. Though we operate in a distributed and hybrid environment, we may give preference to candidates based in Delhi or Bengaluru. In addition, you are:

• Self-driven and ambitious, able to source original stories and insights from your network

• Able to synthesise multiple reporting perspectives into a compelling, explanatory narrative

• Able to see ahead of news cycles, and see what is likely to happen over a 6-12 month horizon

• Able to stick your neck out with informed opinions when required

• Build source networks with employees, leaders, founders and investors in the companies

If what we said above resonates with you, we\xe2\x80\x99re pretty sure you\xe2\x80\x99ll find The Ken is a great place for you. While The Ken does not chase scoops, we do place an emphasis on original insight and impactful breaking news. That is especially true of this role. We work across numerous time zones. You will collaborate via tools like Slack, Zoom, Coda, and Google Suite with a distributed newsroom comprising award-winning journalists across multiple countries, editors, visual designers, podcasters, product managers, and developers. What we offer One of our tenets is to offer the most competitive salaries and meaningful benefits we can to our colleagues.

• Great salaries

• The latest Apple Macbooks

• A flat, non-hierarchical, and open culture

• A universal ESOP plan

• Health insurance for you and your family

• Cutting-edge learning opportunities, whether it be on journalism or subscriptions products

• Unlimited leaves

• Company-sponsored therapy

About The Ken The Ken is a pan-Asian, online business publication founded in India in October 2016. We pioneered and built the category of subscribers-only business journalism and are known for our consistently deep and analytical coverage of business, technology, and policy. We are backed by venture funding from Omidyar Network and highly respected angel investors. If you haven\xe2\x80\x99t read The Ken yet, you can get a sense of our work from our free reads section. Our diverse community of more than 40,000 subscribers comprises innovative and successful entrepreneurs and senior executives, venture investors, knowledge professionals, policy makers, college students, and dozens of the world\xe2\x80\x99s best-known companies.