Ashlee Vance Launches New Media Startup Core Memory

Prolific Bloomberg tech journalist Ashlee Vance leaves to launch a new media company focused on technology and science.

The startup, named Core Memory, aims to produce high-end documentaries alongside typical digital content like a YouTube show, podcast, and Substack newsletter. This diverse approach mirrors Vance's career, which includes feature writing, hosting Bloomberg's global show, authoring the bestselling 2015 biography of Elon Musk, and producing documentaries, most recently for Netflix. At 47, Vance is also working on a book about OpenAI, for which he has already sold the movie rights.

“I’m convinced there’s a way to live in both worlds and do it successfully,” Vance said of documentary film and digital journalism.

Core Memory will focus on cutting-edge technologies and science, starting with its inaugural documentary, directed by Vance, which will explore brain-computer interfaces. Vance will also produce two annual YouTube talk show seasons one centered on brain science and the other diving deep into the intricacies of manufacturing in all its "gory, beautiful detail," he added.

During his 14 years at Bloomberg, along with a stint at The New York Times, Vance became a go-to reporter for tech visionaries with bold ideas. He traveled from Texas to Nigeria to Kyrgyzstan, reporting on topics like lab-grown meat, robots, and AI. However, he noted that Core Memory’s YouTube show won’t have a similar travel budget. Vance has largely stayed out of the ideological divide between Silicon Valley’s elite and the journalists who cover them.

“A lot of what I read in the mainstream media on tech feels like activism to me, and people who are very slanted in their point of view,” he said.

Vance’s move highlights the growing convergence of legacy and new media, particularly in the realm of video production. This shift has been fueled by new digital tools that have significantly reduced the cost of producing high-quality video.

The ongoing tug-of-war between media companies and journalists over intellectual property centers on who controls the rights to movies or TV shows based on news articles. Publishers have spent years tightening control over content produced by their employees. As a result, writers seeking creative control and financial rewards are increasingly motivated to leave for opportunities in film and TV.

Many in Vance’s field will watch Core Memory closely, though replicating his model won’t be easy due to his established expertise. Stories about futuristic tech and its creators are increasingly appealing to producers, especially as they shy away from politically charged content.