Adam L. Penenberg (born July 27, 1962) is an American journalist and educator, currently associate professor of journalism at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

and director of undergraduate studies. He had previously served as editor of

PandoDaily PandoDaily, or simply Pando, was a web publication offering technology news, analysis, and commentary, with a focus on Silicon Valley and startup companies. History PandoDaily was started by former TechCrunch writer Sarah Lacy on January 16, 201 ...

and written for ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'', ''

Fast Company ''Fast Company'' is an American business magazine published monthly in print and online, focusing on technology, business, and design. It releases six print issues annually. History ''Fast Company'' was founded in November 1995 by Alan Webb ...

'', ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', ''

Wired News ''Wired'' is a bi-monthly American magazine that focuses on how emerging technologies affect culture, the economy, and politics. It is published in both print and online editions by Condé Nast. The magazine has been in publication since its l ...

'', and ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

''. While at ''Forbes'', Penenberg gained national attention in 1998 for helping reveal ''

The New Republic ''The New Republic'' (often abbreviated as ''TNR'') is an American magazine focused on domestic politics, news, culture, and the arts from a left-wing perspective. It publishes ten print magazines a year and a daily online platform. ''The New Y ...

'' reporter

Stephen Glass Stephen Randall Glass (born September 15, 1972) is a former American journalist. He worked for ''The New Republic'' from 1995 to 1998 until an internal investigation by the magazine determined the majority of stories he wrote either contained f ...

had been fabricating his stories.

Education

Penenberg received his B.A. in Economics from

Reed College Reed College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Portland, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1908, Reed is a residential college with a campus in the Eastmoreland, Portland, Oregon, E ...

Career

Stephen Glass scandal

In the summer of 1998, Penenberg, then a reporter with ''

'' magazine's online arm, Forbes Digital Tool, came upon a story in ''The New Republic'' about a

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that is a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical area of the Santa Clara Valley ...

firm which was hacked by a teenager, then hired the hacker as a security consultant. Amazed that ''The New Republic'' had somehow managed to scoop ''Forbes'', Penenberg tried to verify it. Penenberg could not find any evidence that the company, Jukt Micronics, even existed. He also could not verify any of the events that Glass claimed resulted from the hacker's hiring, such as a radio spot from concerned

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

state officials or several joint state efforts to combat hacking. After an internal investigation, ''The New Republic'' determined that Glass had fabricated the story and subsequently fired him.

Other activities

, Penenberg is an

assistant professor Assistant professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doct ...

of journalism at

. He is also a freelance writer for ''

'', ''

'', ''Forbes'', ''

'', and ''

''. He is the author of numerous books * ''Tragic Indifference: One Man's Battle With the Auto Industry Over the Dangers of SUVs'' (2003). About the biggest product liability case in history, the Ford and Firestone controversy, currently being made into a movie. * ''Spooked: Espionage In Corporate America'' (2008). Co-authored with Marc Barry. * '' Viral Loop: From Facebook to Twitter, How Today's Smartest Businesses Grow Themselves''. (2009) This book explains how companies such as

Netscape Netscape Communications Corporation (originally Mosaic Communications Corporation) was an American independent computer services company with headquarters in Mountain View, California, and then Dulles, Virginia. Its Netscape web browser was o ...

eBay eBay Inc. ( , often stylized as ebay) is an American multinational e-commerce company based in San Jose, California, that allows users to buy or view items via retail sales through online marketplaces and websites in 190 markets worldwide. ...

PayPal PayPal Holdings, Inc. is an American multinational financial technology company operating an online payments system in the majority of countries that support E-commerce payment system, online money transfers; it serves as an electronic alter ...

Skype Skype () was a proprietary telecommunications application operated by Skype Technologies, a division of Microsoft, best known for IP-based videotelephony, videoconferencing and voice calls. It also had instant messaging, file transfer, ...

Hotmail Outlook.com, formerly Hotmail, is a free personal email service offered by Microsoft. It also provides a webmail interface accessible via web browser or mobile apps featuring mail, Calendaring software, calendaring, Address book, contacts, and ...

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

, and

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

implemented viral loops to grow exponentially and achieve billion-dollar valuations in only a short amount of time. The book is divided into three sections including viral businesses, marketing, and networks.Penenberg, A., Viral Loop: From Facebook to Twitter, How Today's Smartest Businesses Grow Themselves, 2009, Hyperion Pres
"Viral Loop: From Facebook to Twitter, How Today's Smartest Businesses Grow Themselves"
/ref> * ''Trial and Terror'' (2012) A thriller. * ''Play at Work: How Games Inspire Breakthrough Thinking'' (2013) Nonfiction. * ''Virtually True'' (2014) A thriller. * ''Sky Rivals: Two Men. Two Planes. An Epic Race Around the World'' (2016) Nonfiction

In popular culture

Penenberg was portrayed by

Steve Zahn Steven James Zahn ( ; born November 13, 1967) is an American actor. In film, Zahn is best known for his lead roles in '' That Thing You Do!'' (1996), '' Happy, Texas'' (1999), '' Joy Ride'' (2001), ''National Security'' (2003), '' A Perfect Geta ...

in the movie '' Shattered Glass''.

References

External links

Adam Penenberg's Official Website
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20070503043924/http://journalism.nyu.edu/faculty/penenberg.html Penenberg's faculty page 1962 births Living people Reed College alumni American male journalists 20th-century American journalists {{US-journalist-1960s-stub