# Keach Hagey
**Keach Hagey** is a journalist who reports on the intersection of media and technology for *The Wall Street Journal*. She is the author of *The King of Content: Sumner Redstone's Battle for Viacom, CBS and Everlasting Control of His Media Empire* (2018) and *The Optimist: Sam Altman, OpenAI, and the Race to Invent the Future* (2025), described as the first biography of the OpenAI chief executive.[1](http://www.keachhagey.com/about) • [2](https://www.nyswritersinstitute.org/keachhagey)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current position | Reporter at *The Wall Street Journal*, covering the intersection of media and technology[1](http://www.keachhagey.com/about) |
| Joined the Journal | April 16, 2012, covering newspapers, magazines and online news media[3](https://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2012/03/keach-hagey-to-the-wall-street-journal-117930) |
| Earlier outlets | Politico, The National (Abu Dhabi), CBS News, the Village Voice[1](http://www.keachhagey.com/about) |
| Facebook Files | Part of the team that broke the series, which won a George Polk Award for Business Reporting, a Gerald Loeb Award for Beat Reporting, and a Deadline Award for public service[1](http://www.keachhagey.com/about) |
| Books | *The King of Content* (HarperCollins, 2018); *The Optimist* (W.W. Norton & Company, May 20, 2025)[1](http://www.keachhagey.com/about) • [2](https://www.nyswritersinstitute.org/keachhagey) • [4](https://www.helpareporter.com/journalist/keach-hagey) |
| Sourcing for *The Optimist* | More than 250 interviews with Altman's family, friends, teachers, mentors, co-founders, colleagues, investors, and portfolio companies, plus hours with Altman himself[2](https://www.nyswritersinstitute.org/keachhagey) |
| Education | Stanford University; sources differ on whether her degree was in English literature or in English and French (see below)[1](http://www.keachhagey.com/about) • [4](https://www.helpareporter.com/journalist/keach-hagey) |
## Early life and education
Hagey grew up in [Evansville, Indiana](https://www.edgepedia.org/evansville-indiana), and graduated from Evansville Day School.[5](https://www.usi.edu/news/releases/2018/10/keach-hagey-to-present-on-media-journalism-career-at-usi) She attended Stanford University. Her own biography states that she holds a bachelor's and a master's in [English literature](https://www.edgepedia.org/english-literature) from Stanford,[1](http://www.keachhagey.com/about) while a self-submitted professional directory profile lists a [Bachelor of Arts](https://www.edgepedia.org/bachelor-of-arts) in English and French, graduated 1999.[4](https://www.helpareporter.com/journalist/keach-hagey) The two accounts agree on the institution and the English component but differ on the degree's exact designation; only the directory profile gives a graduation year.
## Career
Hagey covered media for Politico, *The National* in [Abu Dhabi](https://www.edgepedia.org/abu-dhabi), CBS News, and the Village Voice before joining the Journal.[1](http://www.keachhagey.com/about) In March 2012, Politico announced her move to *The Wall Street Journal*, where she would cover newspapers, magazines, and online news media in New York, starting April 16.[3](https://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2012/03/keach-hagey-to-the-wall-street-journal-117930) By April 2017, Politico's Playbook identified her as a WSJ media reporter.[6](https://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/playbook-birthday-keach-hagey-236942)
**Television and media beat.** At the Journal she first covered the television industry, reporting on 21st Century Fox, Time Warner, and Viacom, and led a team that won a 2016 "Best in Business" award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW) for coverage of the power struggle inside Viacom.[1](http://www.keachhagey.com/about) • [5](https://www.usi.edu/news/releases/2018/10/keach-hagey-to-present-on-media-journalism-career-at-usi) Her first book, *The King of Content*, was published in 2018.[2](https://www.nyswritersinstitute.org/keachhagey) C-SPAN records four appearances, the first a 2011 interview as a Politico correspondent, and includes a Q&A on November 13, 2018.[7](https://www.c-span.org/person/keach-hagey/63841/)
## Technology and AI reporting
**Facebook Files.** Hagey was part of the Journal team that broke the Facebook Files, a series based on internal documents that won a George Polk Award for Business Reporting, a Gerald Loeb Award for Beat Reporting, and a Deadline Award for public service.[1](http://www.keachhagey.com/about)
**Google ad tech.** Her investigation into the inner workings of Google's advertising-technology business won recognition from SABEW.[1](http://www.keachhagey.com/about)
**OpenAI and Anthropic.** Her Altman reporting began with a Journal profile assignment shortly after ChatGPT went viral; she has said she found it strange that Altman's father was almost never mentioned in press coverage of him, and started digging there.[8](https://www.thefrontlist.org/p/exclusive-1-on-1-with-sam-altmans) She also published a long-form Journal investigation, drawing on extensive interviews with current and former employees and people close to executives at both companies, that reported on the decade-long personal feud between the [Anthropic](https://www.edgepedia.org/anthropic) and OpenAI founders.[4](https://www.helpareporter.com/journalist/keach-hagey)
## Books
*The King of Content: Sumner Redstone's Battle for Viacom, CBS and Everlasting Control of His Media Empire* ([HarperCollins](https://www.edgepedia.org/harpercollins), 2018).[1](http://www.keachhagey.com/about) • [2](https://www.nyswritersinstitute.org/keachhagey)
*The Optimist: Sam Altman, OpenAI, and the Race to Invent the Future* was published by W.W. Norton & Company on May 20, 2025, and is described as the first biography of [Sam Altman](https://www.edgepedia.org/sam-altman).[2](https://www.nyswritersinstitute.org/keachhagey) • [4](https://www.helpareporter.com/journalist/keach-hagey) It recounts ChatGPT's release on November 30, 2022, and Altman's firing by OpenAI's board on November 17, 2023.[2](https://www.nyswritersinstitute.org/keachhagey) Hagey conducted more than 250 interviews for the book, with Altman's family, friends, teachers, mentors, co-founders, colleagues, investors, and portfolio companies, in addition to hours with Altman himself.[2](https://www.nyswritersinstitute.org/keachhagey)
**Reception.** *The Optimist* received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, which called it "The first major biography of tech's newest titan" and said it "sets a high bar for those to follow," and from Kirkus.[2](https://www.nyswritersinstitute.org/keachhagey) • [9](http://www.keachhagey.com/press) Press coverage and interviews included the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, Bloomberg, the New York Times's Hard Fork podcast, [Platformer](https://www.edgepedia.org/platformer), and other shows.[9](http://www.keachhagey.com/press)
## The Optimist among AI-era biographies
The Frontlist, in an interview with Hagey, framed the book against other technology biographies, noting that her "clear-sighted investigation of Altman's life avoids the hagiographic lens Walter Isaacson put to work in his biography of Elon Musk."[8](https://www.thefrontlist.org/p/exclusive-1-on-1-with-sam-altmans) It was the first biography of Altman, and it recounted ChatGPT's release on November 30, 2022, and Altman's firing by OpenAI's board on November 17, 2023.[2](https://www.nyswritersinstitute.org/keachhagey) She also published a long-form Journal investigation, drawing on extensive interviews with current and former employees and people close to executives at both companies, that reported on the decade-long personal feud between the Anthropic and OpenAI founders.[4](https://www.helpareporter.com/journalist/keach-hagey)
## Recognition
Her awards include the George Polk Award for Business Reporting, the Gerald Loeb Award for Beat Reporting, and the Deadline Award for public service, all for the Facebook Files; SABEW recognition for the Google advertising-technology investigation; and the 2016 SABEW "Best in Business" award for the Viacom coverage.[1](http://www.keachhagey.com/about) • [5](https://www.usi.edu/news/releases/2018/10/keach-hagey-to-present-on-media-journalism-career-at-usi) Her work spans long-form investigations, broadcast appearances on C-SPAN and CNBC, podcast interviews, and two published books.[1](http://www.keachhagey.com/about) • [7](https://www.c-span.org/person/keach-hagey/63841/) • [9](http://www.keachhagey.com/press)
## References
1. [Bio — Keach Hagey (author website)](http://www.keachhagey.com/about)
2. [Keach Hagey, New York State Writers Institute](https://www.nyswritersinstitute.org/keachhagey)
3. [Keach Hagey to the Wall Street Journal, Politico (March 2012)](https://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2012/03/keach-hagey-to-the-wall-street-journal-117930)
4. [Keach Hagey, HARO journalist profile](https://www.helpareporter.com/journalist/keach-hagey)
5. [Keach Hagey to present on media, journalism career at USI, University of Southern Indiana (October 2018)](https://www.usi.edu/news/releases/2018/10/keach-hagey-to-present-on-media-journalism-career-at-usi)
6. [Birthday of the Day: WSJ media reporter Keach Hagey, Politico (April 2017)](https://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/playbook-birthday-keach-hagey-236942)
7. [Keach Hagey, C-SPAN Video Library](https://www.c-span.org/person/keach-hagey/63841/)
8. [Exclusive: 1-on-1 with Sam Altman's first biographer, The Frontlist](https://www.thefrontlist.org/p/exclusive-1-on-1-with-sam-altmans)
9. [Press and Interviews for The Optimist, Keach Hagey official site](http://www.keachhagey.com/press)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Broadcasting and journalism › Journalism and press › Journalists and their taxonomy › Surnames A to Ma*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license