Tad Friend

Tad Friend, a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1998, writes the magazine’s “Letter from California.” His coverage of Silicon Valley includes portraits of Elon Musk, Marc Andreessen, and Sam Altman, as well as pieces about artificial intelligence, the rise of plant-based meats, and the scientific quest for immortality. He’s had his work republished in “The Best Technology Writing,” “The Best American Travel Writing,” “The Best American Sports Writing,” and “The Best American Crime Reporting.” His story “Jumpers,” on the people who commit suicide at the Golden Gate Bridge, was turned into the documentary film “The Bridge” and inspired the Sleater-Kinney song “Jumpers.” His memoir, Cheerful Money: Me, My Family, and the Last Days of Wasp Splendor, was chosen as one of the year’s best books by The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The San Francisco Chronicle, and NPR. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife, Amanda Hesser, and their 13-year-old twins.