Dylan Byers

Dylan Byers was born to Margaret Carol Lewis and Judson Thomas Byers in Seattle, Washington. His parents both held positions as deputy mayor of Seattle, with Margaret serving from 1981 to 1989 and Judson from 1998 to 2002. Margaret later became the director of a network of philanthropists, and Judson co-founded a public policy consulting firm. Byers attended Lakeside School in Seattle, graduating in 2004, and then pursued higher education at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York, completing his studies in 2008. His early professional experiences included working as a research assistant for The New Yorker in 2006, where he also served as a personal research assistant for writers Philip Gourevitch, George Packer, and Jane Kramer.

Byers launched his journalism career as a media and tech reporter for Adweek. He subsequently moved to Politico, where in November 2011, he launched the “On Media” blog. This platform became recognized for its “scoop heavy” coverage of media and political news, earning praise for its “workaholic media-politics coverage” and establishing Byers’ expertise at the intersection of politics and media. While at Politico, his article, “President Obama, off the record,” which offered insight into an ‘off the record’ aspect of US President Barack Obama, made him a finalist in the 2014 Mirror Awards for Best Single Article in Digital Media. In September 2015, Byers transitioned to CNN, where he introduced the Pacific newsletter, focusing on the politics, culture, and business landscapes of Silicon Valley and Hollywood.

In September 2018, Byers joined NBC News and MSNBC. During his tenure, he launched the Byers Market newsletter, which analyzed the convergence of technology, media, and entertainment. He also initiated the Byers Market podcast, featuring interviews with prominent figures such as Facebook chief operating officer Sheryl Sandberg, IAC chairman Barry Diller, and Instagram head Adam Mosseri. In 2021, Byers became a founding partner and senior correspondent at Puck upon its launch. At Puck, he writes the “In The Room” newsletter, providing extensive coverage of executive appointments and significant developments in the media industry, including reports on the hiring and departure of CNN C.E.O. Chris Licht, the appointment of Mark Thompson as his successor, and the selection of William Lewis as C.E.O. and publisher of The Washington Post.