Tom Foremski

Tom Foremski is a former Financial Times journalist. He has been covering Silicon Valley since his arrival from London in 1984. In May 2004 he became the first journalist to leave a major newspaper to make a living as a journalist blogger, publishing Silicon Valley Watcher - reporting on the business and culture of innovation.

Tom’s understanding of diverse technologies and his access to global business leaders, make him one of the most prominent media influencers in the technology world.

His latest project is Fridays with Foremski, a weekly video show that will feature interviews with top business and thought leaders, startup companies, reports from conferences, and highlight the unique culture of Silicon Valley.

Silicon Valley Watcher was named by Bacon’s, the top media-tracking group, as one of the most influential and credible blogs in the US. Tom often speaks at conferences on the subject of Silicon Valley, enterprise, and the new media.

Tom has appeared on TV, radio and is often quoted in newspapers. He also moderates panels and speaks on panels at conferences and private events. If you would like to book Tom for your event please contact Alex Ross (Alex(at)SiliconValleyWatcher.com.)

Tom’s expertise is Silicon Valley, a unique region and a true global resource. Companies move to Silicon Valley from around the world all the time, and new industries are created here. There is no sign that this will stop any time soon, even though the global economy is weak. It is a place of incredible diversity, in terms of people and in being the creative centre for many technologies: information, green, clean energy, and biotech.

Silicon Valley continues to attract some of the most talented people in the world. It has the best public and the best private universities: UC Berkeley and Stanford; It has the largest venture capital community, and it has a well established startup tradition that spans several decades. Each one of its more than 6,000 startups wants to change their industry and make a world impact.

On top of this infrastructure, there is a unique culture of innovation. It is a culture that is very difficult to export because it is a culture that doesn’t punish failure. Failure is an experience that can be used to build the next successful company. Only about one in 20 startups are successful—and it is this ability to tolerate enormous amounts of failure that lies at the heart of Silicon Valley’s success stories.

The tolerance of failure, the constant changing mix of passionate people, intriguing business ideas, fascinating technologies, and an ever-changing conversation about the future, is why Silicon Valley has the attention of the world.

Tom Foremski has been covering the business of Silicon Valley since 1984, working for international magazines, the Financial Times in its San Francisco bureau, and currently the publisher of Silicon Valley Watcher – and host of the pending video series Fridays with Foremski reporting on the business and culture of Silicon Valley.