News for the New Era

Rachel Oppenheim started out as a reporter, rose through The New York Times ad department, and then took a call she calls a once-in-a-career brief: help build the next great 21st-century news organization from scratch. Four and a half years later, she's leading growth at Semafor, including its biggest bet yet, Silicon Valley and the World.

From Reporter to Revenue: Rachel studied journalism and started her career in newsrooms. She grew increasingly excited about the business side of media, which led her to The New York Times, where she helped start its branded content studio and later led its largest ad category. 📰

Widening the Wingspan: Semafor is growing fast, investing in Washington coverage, business and finance, technology, and healthcare. It's also expanding beyond its newsletters into video, podcasts, live events, and high-level convenings. 🌍

Where the Value Moves: Rachel says AI will rewire the entire media ecosystem. The value moves to original reporting, judgment, expertise, and real human relationships, the things that can't be commoditized in an AI era. 🤖

Silicon Valley and the World: Semafor's newest convening is co-chaired by Jensen Huang, Satya Nadella, Ruth Porat, and Lisa Su, and will bring 300 to 400 CEOs to the Bay Area this November. Rachel calls it the fastest-growing initiative Semafor has ever launched. 🚀

The Wedding Speech Master Class: Rachel has strong views on how a wedding speech should be written and delivered, and they're her favorite part of every wedding she attends. She also starts most days with five to ten minutes of meditation. 🥂