The Wall Street Journal

Christopher Mims

Technology columnist, The Wall Street Journal.

Christopher Mims writes Keywords, a weekly column on technology. Before joining the Journal in 2014, he was the lead technology reporter for Quartz and has written on science and tech for publications ranging from Technology Review, Smithsonian, Wired, the Atlantic, Slate and other publications. Mims, who has degree in neuroscience and behavioral biology from Emory University, lives in Baltimore.

Articles by Christopher Mims

  • Keywords

    Gigantic Tablets Sneak Into the Workplace

    Gigantic touch-screen devices are finding their ways into business, both as tools for customers and to get serious work done. These devices create new ways for people to collaborate, writes Christopher Mims.

    Gigantic Tablets Sneak Into the Workplace
  • Christopher Mims

    Is Engine of Innovation in Danger of Stalling?

    While some companies like Google buck the trend, many others see spending on research as a speculative bet with an uncertain, and far distant, payoff, writes Christopher Mims.

    Is Engine of Innovation in Danger of Stalling?
  • Christopher Mims

    How U.S. Manufacturing Is About to Get Smarter

    Columnist Christopher Mims says U.S. manufacturing industries have an opportunity to use technology innovations to revolutionize production.

    How U.S. Manufacturing Is About to Get Smarter
  • Christopher Mims

    New Populism and Silicon Valley on a Collision Course

    Tuesday’s election was an expression of voter angst that heralded a new type of populism. For Silicon Valley, it also marked the ascension of a vision starkly at odds with its own.

    New Populism and Silicon Valley on a Collision Course
  • Christopher Mims

    Chat Emerges as the Hottest Thing in IT

    Chat is becoming the backbone of many businesses, bringing together both people and multiple software programs. The defining turf war of the next decade will be group chat, writes Christopher Mims.

    Chat Emerges as the Hottest Thing in IT
  • Christopher Mims

    America Isn’t Ready for a Cyberattack

    Columnist Christopher Mims says the recent cyberattack that rendered more than 1,200 websites unreachable was a warning. Experts say a similar, or larger, attack could be launched, and we’d be powerless to prevent it.

    America Isn’t Ready for a Cyberattack
  • Keywords

    Banning Tablets Is Best for Children

    Columnist Christopher Mims saw some curious results when he banned tablets in his house on weekdays. And new recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics are backing up his experiment.

    Banning Tablets Is Best for Children
  • Keywords

    Why Twitter Actually Is a Media Company

    Keywords: Twitter is a media company that happens to be based in San Francisco, and it should be structured, led and valued as such. It is no longer a technology-driven hypergrowth unicorn, writes Christopher Mims.

    Why Twitter Actually Is a Media Company
  • Keywords

    Your Next Friend Could Be a Robot

    Tech giants are working on conversation-based systems that could bring profound changes in how we interact with computers, writes columnist Christopher Mims.

    Your Next Friend Could Be a Robot
  • Keywords

    Facebook’s Big Role in 2016 Election

    For campaigns striving to get supporters to the polls, as well as change minds, the ability to “micro-target” is manna from heaven, writes Christopher Mims.

    Facebook’s Big Role in 2016 Election
  • Keywords

    Self-Driving Hype Doesn’t Reflect Reality

    To judge by recent claims, “fully autonomous” self-driving technology is just around the corner. But hopping into a car and disappearing into sleep, food or our phones won’t happen for a long time, writes Christopher Mims.

    Self-Driving Hype Doesn’t Reflect Reality
  • Why the Paperless Office Is Finally on Its Way

    We were promised the paperless office for 40 years, yet it’s only just becoming true, writes Christopher Mims. For the first time in history, there is a steady decline of about 1% to 2% a year in office use of paper.

    Why the Paperless Office Is Finally on Its Way
  • Keywords

    Innovation in Tech Evolves in New Ways

    The technology inside devices, such as the iPhone, is evolving in a way that opens new opportunities, writes Christopher Mims. For example, hardware makers’ primary response to the slowdown in improvements in chip performance has been to create customized chips for specific tasks.

    Innovation in Tech Evolves in New Ways
  • Keywords

    Using Technology to Protect From Mass Shootings

    New devices aim to offer protection from active shooters by transforming schools and other public spaces into ‘hardened targets,’ writes Christopher Mims.

    Using Technology to Protect From Mass Shootings
  • Keywords

    Why Electric Cars Will Be Here Sooner Than You Think

    In 2015, about one in every 150 cars sold in the U.S. had a plug and a battery. But mass adoption of electric vehicles is coming, and much sooner than most people realize.

    Why Electric Cars Will Be Here Sooner Than You Think
  • Keywords

    The Internet of Things Is Here and It Isn’t a Thing

    Everyone is waiting for the Internet of Things. The funny thing is, it is already here. Contrary to expectation, though, it isn’t a thing at all—it is services.

    The Internet of Things Is Here and It Isn’t a Thing
  • Keywords

    Why Uber Might Stalk an IPO

    Uber might want to go public sooner than later with the likelihood its revenue growth might slow significantly, if it hasn’t already.

    Why Uber Might Stalk an IPO
  • Keywords

    Twitter Fails to Harness Its Importance

    Twitter is so bad at surfacing its most valuable content that a whole ecosystem of other players has arisen to do it for Twitter, from apps and data-mining services to the news media itself, writes Christopher Mims.

    Twitter Fails to Harness Its Importance
  • Keywords

    Yahoo’s Fall and the Perils of Losing Focus

    Google and Facebook could learn the importance of focus from Yahoo, AOL and their ilk: Don’t try to be everything to everyone by copying, buying or mimicking the latest rival for users’ attention.

    Yahoo’s Fall and the Perils of Losing Focus
  • Keywords

    ‘Pokémon Go’ Surged by Connecting People

    Columnist Christopher Mims writes that “Pokémon Go” became a monster hit by connecting people playing the game, even though it isn’t explicitly about bringing people together.

    ‘Pokémon Go’ Surged by Connecting People
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