Malcolm Gladwell
Born 1963 · Age 62
Canadian journalist, author, and public speaker; staff writer at The New Yorker since 1996; author of multiple bestsellers and co-founder of Pushkin Industries.
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Life & Career Timeline
Born in Fareham, Hampshire, England
Malcolm Timothy Gladwell born to Graham Gladwell (mathematics professor) and Joyce (née Nation) Gladwell (Jamaican psychotherapist).
Family moved to Elmira, Ontario, Canada
Family relocated to a Mennonite rural community near the University of Waterloo where his father taught.
Explored University of Waterloo libraries with his father
At about age 11 his father allowed him to wander offices and libraries at the University of Waterloo, fostering an early interest in reading and research.
Middle-distance running: 1500m in 4:14 (age 13)
As a teenager Gladwell posted a 1500m time of 4:14, marking early athletic achievement.
Middle-distance running: 1500m in 4:05 (age 14)
At age 14 Gladwell improved his 1500m time to 4:05, among Canada's fastest teenagers at the time.
Internship at the National Journalism Center
Interned with the National Journalism Center in Washington, D.C. (spring 1982).
Graduated BA in History, University of Toronto (Trinity College)
Completed a bachelor's degree in history at Trinity College, University of Toronto.
Hired at The American Spectator (first post-college job)
After trying to enter advertising, accepted a journalism position at conservative magazine The American Spectator and moved to Indiana.
Fired from The American Spectator
Reportedly fired from The American Spectator (sources note firing around 1985).
Wrote for Insight on the News
Contributed to Insight on the News (conservative magazine owned by the Unification Church) after leaving The American Spectator.
Joined The Washington Post covering business and science
Began working at The Washington Post as a business and science reporter; would remain until 1996.
Named New York bureau chief, The Washington Post
Served as The Washington Post's New York bureau chief (1993–1996).
Became staff writer at The New Yorker
Joined The New Yorker as a staff writer; began mining academic research to write long-form features.
First New Yorker assignment: fashion/T-shirt story
First New Yorker assignment was to write about fashion; he opted to profile a man who manufactured $8 T-shirts rather than haute couture.
Published two influential New Yorker pieces
Wrote 'The Tipping Point' and 'The Coolhunt' (both 1996), pieces that raised his profile and formed the basis for his first book.
Received $1,000,000 advance for The Tipping Point
Received a reported $1 million advance from his publisher for his first book, The Tipping Point.
Won National Magazine Award for Ron Popeil profile
Profile of inventor Ron Popeil won a National Magazine Award (PBS and other sources cite this recognition in 1999).
Published The Tipping Point
Released The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, which popularized the 'tipping point' concept.
Published 'The Ketchup Conundrum' (The New Yorker)
Essay published in The New Yorker exploring why some products take off and others do not.
Named to Time's 100 Most Influential People
Recognized by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people (2005).
Reported speaking fee of about $45,000
Reported that in 2005 he commanded speaking fees around $45,000 for appearances.
Published Blink
Released Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, a bestseller about rapid cognition and 'thin-slicing'.
Published 'Million-Dollar Murray' (The New Yorker)
Article on homelessness and public policy published in The New Yorker (13 Feb 2006).
Award & honorary degree from University of Waterloo
Received the American Sociological Association's Award for Excellence in Reporting of Social Issues and an honorary degree from the University of Waterloo (2007).
Reported ~30 speeches a year (2008)
Profiled in 2008 as doing about 30 speeches per year—most for tens of thousands of dollars each.
Published Outliers; #1 NYT bestseller 11 weeks
Released Outliers: The Story of Success; the book was #1 on the New York Times bestseller list for 11 straight weeks.
Critical and commercial reception for Outliers & prior books
Outliers named Time's #10 non-fiction book of 2008 and enjoyed strong bestseller status; The Tipping Point & Blink praised and criticized widely.
Combined sales — The Tipping Point & Blink
By November 2008, The Tipping Point and Blink had sold a combined approximately 4.5 million copies.
Published What the Dog Saw
Collection of favorite New Yorker articles released as What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures.
Published 'Small Change: Why the revolution will not be tweeted' (The New Yorker)
Essay arguing that social media-driven activism differs from classical activism (4 Oct 2010).
Gave three Bank of America Small Business talks
Spoke on a three-city 'Bank of America Small Business Speaker Series' (2011), prompting debate about corporate partnerships.
Appointed Member of the Order of Canada
Received one of Canada's highest civilian honors for merit (appointed Member of the Order of Canada, 2011).
Impact: 'Redshirting' trend attributed to Outliers
In 2012 CBS's 60 Minutes attributed the practice of delaying kindergarten entry ('redshirting') in part to the popularity of ideas from Outliers.
Published David and Goliath (October 2013)
Released David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants; became a bestseller with mixed reviews.
Admitted 'overstating' broken-windows influence (BBC interview)
In a 2013 interview with Jon Ronson for The Culture Show Gladwell said he had been 'too in love' with the broken-windows policing notion.
Ran the Fifth Avenue Mile in 4:54 at age 51
Athletic milestone — ran a 4:54 mile at the Fifth Avenue Mile in 2014 (age 51).
Published 'Sacred and profane' (The New Yorker)
Essay on negotiation with believers published in The New Yorker (31 Mar 2014).
Published 'The engineer's lament' (The New Yorker)
Published 'The engineer's lament: two' in The New Yorker (4 May 2015).
Launched Revisionist History podcast
Started hosting Revisionist History (initially produced through Panoply Media), reexamining overlooked historical events and ideas.
Revisionist History reaches multi-season run
Revisionist History began in 2016 and has run multiple seasons (seven 10-episode seasons noted in sources).
Launched music podcast 'Broken Record' (with Rick Rubin & Bruce Headlam)
Co-launched Broken Record, a music-focused interview podcast; seasons ran 2018–2019 and returned in 2020.
Co-founded Pushkin Industries with Jacob Weisberg
Announced co-founding of Pushkin Industries, a podcast and audio production company (September 2018).
Published Talking to Strangers
Released Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don't Know (Sept 2019).
Ran a 5:15 mile at age 57
Athletic milestone — recorded a 5:15 mile at age 57.
Published The Bomber Mafia
Released The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War (April 2021).
Birth of first child (daughter)
Reportedly had his first child, a daughter, in 2022 — personal milestone.
Personal life changes and move to Hudson, New York
Reportedly in a five‑year span leading to 2024 he got engaged, had two children, turned 61, and moved from Manhattan to Hudson, NY.
Received Audio Vanguard Award (On Air Fest)
Recipient of the 2024 Audio Vanguard Award presented by On Air Fest for contributions to audio and podcasting.
Published Revenge of the Tipping Point
Released Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering (Oct 2024), a sequel revisiting his first book's ideas.
Premiered 'The Unusual Suspects' podcast (with Kenya Barris)
The Unusual Suspects, a podcast co-hosted with Kenya Barris and Gladwell, premiered Jan 30, 2025; features candid interviews with influential figures.
Key Achievement Ages
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