# John Gruber

> John Gruber is the writer behind Daring Fireball, the long-running Apple-focused weblog he launched in 2002 and turned into a full-time, ad-and-membership-funded one-person media business by 2006. He co-created Markdown with Aaron Swartz in 2004, hosts the popular podcast The Talk Show, and co-hosts Dithering with Ben Thompson. Equal parts UI obsessive and sharp-tongued critic, Gruber has become one of the most influential independent voices covering Apple and Mac culture.

- **Role:** Writer & Publisher at Daring Fireball
- **Organizations:** Daring Fireball, The Talk Show, Dithering, Q Branch (former), Bare Bones Software (former), Joyent (former)
- **From:** Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S. in Computer Science, Drexel University
- **Known for:** Co-created Markdown, now one of the most widely used plain-text writing formats on the web, Built Daring Fireball into a sustainable full-time independent media business funded by sponsorships and memberships, Host of The Talk Show, drawing top Apple executives as live WWDC guests

## Career timeline

- **2000** — Works at Bare Bones Software (until 2002)
- **2002** — Launches Daring Fireball, his Apple-focused weblog
- **2004** — Co-creates the Markdown markup language with Aaron Swartz
- **2005** — Works at Joyent (until 2006)
- **2006** — Daring Fireball becomes his full-time job, funded by ads and memberships
- **2007** — Launches The Talk Show podcast, originally co-hosted with Dan Benjamin
- **2013** — Co-founds Q Branch with Brent Simmons and Dave Wiskus; ships the Vesper notes app
- **2015** — Phil Schiller appears on The Talk Show Live From WWDC; the live show becomes an annual fixture
- **2020** — Launches Dithering, a twice-weekly 15-minute podcast with Ben Thompson
- **2025** — Publishes 'Something Is Rotten in the State of Cupertino,' a pointed critique of Apple's Siri AI delays

## Achievements

- Co-created Markdown, now one of the most widely used plain-text writing formats on the web
- Built Daring Fireball into a sustainable full-time independent media business funded by sponsorships and memberships
- Host of The Talk Show, drawing top Apple executives as live WWDC guests
- Co-host of Dithering with Ben Thompson
- Became one of the most influential independent commentators on Apple and Mac culture

## Latest updates

- **2025-03** — Published 'Something Is Rotten in the State of Cupertino,' arguing Apple damaged its credibility by promoting unshipped personalized Siri features.
- **2025-06** — Hosted The Talk Show Live From WWDC 2025 at the California Theatre - the first year since 2015 that Apple declined to send executive guests.

## Links

- Website: https://daringfireball.net/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gruber-daring-fireball/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/gruber
- Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/gruber.foo

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/john-gruber
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-03