Full Name
Jim VandeHei
Job Title
Co-founder and CEO of Axios, former CEO of Politico
Company
Author, Smart Brevity
Speaker Bio
Jim VandeHei is one of the most celebrated media and political thinkers of his generation. He is the co-founder and CEO of Axios, a media company designed to get people smarter, faster on politics, technology, media, and business. Axios is widely respected for its clinical, unbiased exclusive reporting and analysis, and widely read by top political leaders, CEOs, and leading media figures. As CEO, VandeHei overhauls traditional media business with a forward-thinking approach that matches the way viewers consume news in the 21st century.
VandeHei eloquently chronicles his cutting-edge methods in Smart Brevity: Saying More with Less, which he co-authored alongside Axios co-founder, Mike Allen. In the book, VandeHei and Allen share transformative communications methods for punching through the noise to get people to pay attention to what matters most. Their Smart Brevity approach was pivotal to Axios becoming a powerhouse media property in just five years, leading to a $525 million acquisition by Cox Enterprises. VandeHei was also the co-creator and executive producer of the Emmy-winning series Axios on HBO, a documentary that profiled the world’s top leaders and covered the consequential topics. Following up with Smart Brevity, VandeHei wrote another bestseller, Just the Good Stuff, a guide to navigating the world and building a meaningful life that blends personal stories with practical insights.
In addition to starting Axios, VandeHei was the co-founder and former CEO of POLITICO, the digital media company that upended and revolutionized political and policy journalism in Washington, New York, and Europe. Called a “media phenomenon” by Washingtonian, the all-politics-all-the-time site has been a smashing success since its 2006 launch. In his nine years at the publication’s helm, VandeHei was a chief architect of both the site’s editorial and business models. Under his leadership, POLITICO expanded into New York and Europe, where it was recently named the most influential publication on the continent for top government officials. He also co-founded Axios HQ, an AI software company.
VandeHei eloquently chronicles his cutting-edge methods in Smart Brevity: Saying More with Less, which he co-authored alongside Axios co-founder, Mike Allen. In the book, VandeHei and Allen share transformative communications methods for punching through the noise to get people to pay attention to what matters most. Their Smart Brevity approach was pivotal to Axios becoming a powerhouse media property in just five years, leading to a $525 million acquisition by Cox Enterprises. VandeHei was also the co-creator and executive producer of the Emmy-winning series Axios on HBO, a documentary that profiled the world’s top leaders and covered the consequential topics. Following up with Smart Brevity, VandeHei wrote another bestseller, Just the Good Stuff, a guide to navigating the world and building a meaningful life that blends personal stories with practical insights.
In addition to starting Axios, VandeHei was the co-founder and former CEO of POLITICO, the digital media company that upended and revolutionized political and policy journalism in Washington, New York, and Europe. Called a “media phenomenon” by Washingtonian, the all-politics-all-the-time site has been a smashing success since its 2006 launch. In his nine years at the publication’s helm, VandeHei was a chief architect of both the site’s editorial and business models. Under his leadership, POLITICO expanded into New York and Europe, where it was recently named the most influential publication on the continent for top government officials. He also co-founded Axios HQ, an AI software company.
Speaking At
