Ellen Huet
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Ellen Huet is an American journalist known for her investigative reporting on startups, Silicon Valley culture, and technology. She is a features writer for Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Businessweek, where she covers topics including artificial intelligence, consumer technology, and tech industry power dynamics.[1]
Early life and education
[edit]Huet was born and raised in Fremont, California[when?]. She attended Stanford University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Political Science.[citation needed] During her time at Stanford, she was a senior staff writer and managing news editor for The Stanford Daily.[2]
Career
[edit]Huet began her journalism career at the San Francisco Chronicle, where she covered crime and breaking news.[3] She later joined Forbes as a staff writer, reporting on technology and its societal impacts.[4] In December 2015, she joined Bloomberg, where she continues to focus on in-depth stories related to the tech industry and startup culture.[1]
OneTaste investigation
[edit]In 2018, Huet wrote an investigative piece for Bloomberg Businessweek titled "The Dark Side of the Orgasmic Meditation Company", which examined OneTaste, a company promoting "orgasmic meditation". The article detailed allegations of abusive labor practices and coercion within the organization.[5] The company was later investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.[6]
"Foundering" podcast
[edit]In 2020, Huet reported and hosted the seven-part narrative podcast Foundering, which examined the rise and fall of WeWork and its co-founder Adam Neumann.[7][8] The podcast received first place in the SABEW Best in Business audio category and was a finalist for the Livingston Award.[9][10] In 2024, Huet hosted another season of Foundering, which chronicled the founding and internal power struggles at OpenAI, with a character study of CEO Sam Altman.[11][12]
Awards and recognition
[edit]Huet has received several accolades throughout her career:
- Finalist for the Livingston Award (2021) for her work on the Foundering podcast.[9]
- First place in the SABEW Best in Business audio category (2020) for Foundering.[10]
- First place in the Digital Media: Breaking News category at the Bay Area Journalism Awards (2020) for her coverage of WeWork's IPO filing.[13]
Selected publications
[edit]- "The Dark Side of the Orgasmic Meditation Company" – Bloomberg Businessweek
- "They Invented the Must-Have Instrument for the Burning Man Set. Now They Want to Kill It Off" – Bloomberg Businessweek
- "WeWork Wants to Become Its Own Landlord With Latest Spending Spree" – Bloomberg Businessweek
- Empire of Orgasm: Sex, Power, and the Downfall of a Wellness Cult (October 2025)
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Ellen Huet - Bloomberg". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on 2025-01-09. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
- ^ "Ellen Huet - The Stanford Daily". Retrieved 2025-02-11.
- ^ Huet, Ellen (2013-05-15). "Missing S.F. autistic girl found dead". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2021-10-22. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
- ^ "Ellen Huet". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
- ^ "The Dark Side of the Orgasmic Meditation Company". Bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on 2025-01-29. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
- ^ Huet, Ellen (2018-11-13). "FBI Is Probing OneTaste, a Sexuality Wellness Company". NDTV Profit. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
- ^ Bloomberg Originals (2020-10-16). The WeWork Story Part 1: Capitalist Kibbutz. Retrieved 2025-02-11 – via YouTube.
- ^ "The Spectacular Rise and Fall of WeWork". www.bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on 2020-10-19. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
- ^ a b "Livingston Award finalists move to final round of judging". University of Michigan News. 2021-05-04. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
- ^ a b "2020 Best in Business Awards Honorees". SABEW. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
- ^ "The making of Sam Altman". Marketplace. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
- ^ "Foundering: The OpenAI Story". YouTube. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
- ^ Kirkland, Jim (2020-09-17). "2020 Final Winners List". San Francisco Press Club. Retrieved 2025-02-11.