Inside WIRED with Chris Anderson

On our recent trip to San Francisco, WIRED’s Editor-in-Chief Chris Anderson was kind enough to give us a tour of the magazine’s headquarters, offering us an inside look at the history of the publication and its rapid evolution. Anderson talked about the start-up roots of the mag, explaining the dot-commy feel of the office space which, years ago, fostered the invention of the banner ad and Apache. Anderson walked us through the magazine through the years, beginning with their launch in 1993 as a magazine primarily aimed at technophiles and professional ‘geeks’. But as WIRED grew up, and Anderson took stewardship of the publication in 2001, it emerged as a periodical more for the people, not just technology experts. “We’re about how technology is changing the world,” Anderson explained, adding that you won’t see the obscure programmer-jargon that was once common to the mag in today’s WIRED, a reflection of its attempt to appeal to a more mainstream audience.

Anderson also offered a glimpse at the editorial process behind WIRED and how the magazine stays current - even up against the hundreds of bloggers who cover much of the same territory they do. To this, Anderson responded that the editorial team must constantly be thinking “one and half years in advance” in terms of content, and that each monthly issue is a culmination of extensive research, fine-tuned design, and stories that cover completely new ideas or “connect the dots in a fresh way.” Glancing at the wall of covers through the years, it seems that WIRED has, indeed, managed to stay ahead of the curve pretty consistently (Long Tail, anyone?). For Anderson, what it really comes down to is a simple mission: “We try to blow minds twelve times a year.”