# Matt Swider

> Matt Swider is a consumer tech journalist, media entrepreneur, and founder of The Shortcut - the #1 consumer tech publication on Substack. With 25+ years in technology journalism, he went viral during the 2020-2021 PS5 shortage by tracking console restocks, growing his Twitter following from 8,000 to over 1 million in under two years and helping an estimated 400,000 people buy a console. He left TechRadar after nine years as US Editor-in-Chief to launch The Shortcut on November 8, 2021, which now boasts 155,000+ subscribers, a 40% open rate, and 1.5 million monthly website views.

- **Role:** Founder & Editor-in-Chief at The Shortcut
- **Organizations:** The Shortcut, TechRadar / Future Publishing, Gaming Target, UGO.com, GamePro.com, G4TV.com, Machinima.com
- **From:** Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.A. in Journalism (minor in History), Penn State University
- **Known for:** Grew Twitter following from 8,000 to 1 million+ in under two years through PS5 restock tracking, Helped an estimated 400,000 people successfully purchase a PS5 or Xbox Series X during global shortage, Built The Shortcut into the #1 consumer tech publication on Substack

## Career timeline

- **1999** — Founded GamingTarget.com at age 14, managing 10 staff and 100+ contributing writers
- **2002** — Began writing for UGO.com (10M monthly visitors) and freelancing for GamePro.com, G4TV.com
- **2003** — Became editor of The Lion's Roar, Penn State's college newspaper, within three semesters
- **2008** — Published a six-page feature in PlayStation: The Official Magazine
- **2012** — Joined TechRadar / Future Publishing
- **2020** — Began tracking PS5 restocks on Twitter; grew from 8,000 to 1M+ followers in under two years
- **2021-10** — BuzzFeed News profiled him as potentially 'the world's most powerful tech journalist'
- **2021-11** — Left TechRadar after 9 years as US Editor-in-Chief; launched The Shortcut on Substack same day
- **2023** — Launched the annual Shortcut CES Awards, selecting the 25 hottest tech picks from CES
- **2024** — The Shortcut reached top ranking as #1 consumer tech publication on Substack
- **2026-01** — CES 2026 live coverage drew 30,000+ concurrent viewers on X and 1M+ total views
- **2026-04** — Spoke at NAB Show 2026 on panel 'Beyond Audiences: Building Community'

## Achievements

- Grew Twitter following from 8,000 to 1 million+ in under two years through PS5 restock tracking
- Helped an estimated 400,000 people successfully purchase a PS5 or Xbox Series X during global shortage
- Built The Shortcut into the #1 consumer tech publication on Substack
- 155,000+ newsletter subscribers with a 40% open rate (vs ~20% industry average)
- 1.5 million monthly website views
- CES 2026 live stream drew 30,000+ concurrent viewers and 1 million total views
- Named potentially 'the world's most powerful tech journalist' by BuzzFeed News (2021)
- Tested over 1,000 phones, tablets, and wearables during TechRadar tenure
- Founded GamingTarget.com at age 14 - one of the youngest gaming journalism founders
- Speaker at NAB Show 2026 Creator Lab Theater

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Spoke at NAB Show 2026 on 'Beyond Audiences: Building Community' panel at Creator Lab Theater
- **2026-01** — CES 2026 live coverage reached 30,000+ concurrent viewers on X; published the Shortcut CES 2026 Awards
- **2025-12** — Active coverage of Nintendo Switch 2 deals, restocks, and pricing
- **2025-06** — Covered Apple WWDC with live blog on The Shortcut
- **2026-02** — Published The Shortcut Live Ep. 32 covering MWC 2026 tech award picks

## Links

- Website: https://www.mattswider.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattswider
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/mattswider
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/mattswider
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mattswider/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mattswider/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/matt-swider
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-24