Ben Johnson

Former Host, Marketplace Tech and Codebreaker

SHORT BIO

Ben Johnson is the former host of Marketplace Tech and the podcast Codebreaker. He joined Marketplace in 2012 and became the host of Marketplace Tech in early 2014.

Ben started his career in journalism in 2003, working as a features and general assignment reporter for the Day newspaper in New London, Connecticut. While there, he won a regional award for feature writing and was recruited to write a weekly entertainment column for the Tribune Media Service. In 2006, Ben relocated to New York City to be an entertainment and music reporter at the Staten Island Advance newspaper, where he soon moved into hard news, working the cops beat and as a weekend city desk editor.

In 2010, he began to work as a freelance web producer at the Takeaway, a national radio show produced out of New York’s WNYC Radio in partnership with WGBH, The New York Times and the BBC. Ben went on to be a freelance radio producer at WNYC, serving as the digital editor for the Takeaway while also doing live and features reporting for the station on everything from Occupy Wall Street to New York's last functioning ship graveyard. While working at WNYC, Ben started blogging for Slate Magazine's breaking news blog, the Slatest.

In 2012, Ben left WNYC to manage a partnership between Slate and YouTube, producing daily breaking news videos and other content for SlateV, the magazine's video department. He also wrote regularly for Slate's Future Tense blog and drew the extreme ire of his fellow Radiohead fans by asking the band to stop touring.

Ben doesn't like to brag about it, but over the years, he has interviewed Jay Z, Hillary Clinton, Luciano Pavarotti, FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, Josh Homme, Biz Stone, Guy Kawasaki, Col. Chris Hadfield, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Neil Young and more. He enjoys and engages in ’80s movie references, plus pie baking and high-fives. His Twitter feed has never been polluted by a subtweet. His interest in swimming knows no bounds, especially if there is a high dive and a high-five involved.

 

Latest Stories (245)

Barely anyone used text-to-911 during Hurricane Harvey

Aug 30, 2017
Only a handful of texts were sent to 911.
A Sheriff's boat rescues people after Hurricane Harvey caused heavy flooding in Houston, Texas on August 28, 2017.
Mark Ralston/AFP/Getty Images

The voice actor behind Mario looks back on his audition for the part

Aug 22, 2017
Mario Kart is celebrating its 25th birthday this year.
Mario and Luigi direct children ride through a McDonald's drive-thru in Los Angeles, California.
Bob Riha, Jr./Nintendo of America via Getty Images

Should companies turn away white supremacist users?

Aug 17, 2017
Racial justice leaders say PayPal has been helping fund racist groups for years.
KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images

GoDaddy drops neo-Nazi site Daily Stormer

Aug 15, 2017
It signals a change in how businesses decide who should editorialize the internet.
Visual Hunt

NASA is testing supercomputers to send to Mars

Aug 14, 2017
And no, scientists won't be able to use them to peruse Facebook.
The NASA logo on a protective box for a camera near the space shuttle Endeavour April 28, 2011 at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images

Airbnb closes accounts linked to white supremacy rally

Aug 11, 2017
The company said it goes against its terms of service.
Carl Court/Getty Images

This 17-year-old hacked the Air Force

Aug 10, 2017
He found 40 website vulnerabilities at a federal bug bounty challenge.
HackerOne co-founder Jobert Abma (left) and bug bounty winner Jack Cable.
HackerOne

That sexist memo could cost Google employees

Aug 9, 2017
Google needs to prioritize diversity, the same way it's prioritized AI and driverless cars, a diversity consultant tells us.
The Justice Department claims Google abused its dominance in online search and advertising to stifle competition and harm consumers.
Michael Gottschalk/AFP/Getty Images

President Trump's security team could soon include drones

Aug 7, 2017
The Secret Service will run tests during Trump's working vacation this month.
Drew Angerer/Getty Images

"Did Apple effectively work with China to burn a billion books in Tiananmen Square this weekend?"

Aug 1, 2017
Here's how the VPN ban will affect businesses' bottom lines — and user browsing.
iStockPhoto