# Nilay Patel

> Nilay Patel is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Verge, host of Decoder, and co-host of The Vergecast. A former copyright lawyer and Engadget managing editor, he examines how technology companies make decisions and how their platforms reshape the web.

- **Role:** Editor-in-Chief, The Verge
- **Organizations:** The Verge, Vox Media, Engadget, Vox, Gapers Block, CNBC
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** AB, Political Science, University of Chicago, JD, University of Wisconsin Law School
- **Known for:** Co-founded The Verge in 2011 and has served as its editor-in-chief since 2014., Hosts Decoder and co-hosts The Vergecast., Helped develop a distinctive interview format centered on organizational structure and decision-making.

## Career timeline

- **2003** — Earned an AB in political science from the University of Chicago.
- **2006** — Earned a JD from the University of Wisconsin Law School.
- **2008** — Joined Engadget after legal work and blogging for Gapers Block.
- **2011** — Left Engadget with colleagues and helped launch The Verge.
- **2014** — Moved briefly to Vox, then became editor-in-chief of The Verge in July.
- **2020** — Launched the current Decoder interview format.
- **2022** — Led The Verge as it introduced the curated StoryStream homepage.
- **2024** — Wrote about Google Zero and oversaw The Verge’s first sitewide subscription launch.
- **2026** — Discussed his forthcoming book How to Get What You Want on Decoder.

## Achievements

- Co-founded The Verge in 2011 and has served as its editor-in-chief since 2014.
- Hosts Decoder and co-hosts The Vergecast.
- Helped develop a distinctive interview format centered on organizational structure and decision-making.
- Named one of SAY Media’s 10 voices that matter in technology journalism, according to Vox Media.
- Coined the phrase Google Zero for the threat of dwindling search referrals to publishers.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — A Decoder episode with Atlassian CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes was published on September 28.
- **2026-04** — Discussed his Decoder interview philosophy and forthcoming book How to Get What You Want in a mailbag episode.
- **2025-10** — Decoder launched a dedicated YouTube channel with full video episodes.

## Links

- Website: https://www.theverge.com/authors/nilay-patel
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nilaypatel
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/reckless
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYRwJnCWfBqFHEHrgc18FFw
- Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/reckless.bsky.social
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reckless1280/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/nilay-patel
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-29