Jonah Peretti

President, Buzz Feed

Jonah Peretti accidentally created a viral email forward chronicling his attempt to order a pair of Nikes customized with the word “sweatshop”. Inspired by this experience, Peretti began researching how media spreads through word-of-mouth and co-created viral hits like the New York City Rejection Line, BlackPeopleLoveUs.com, and FundRace.org.

Peretti is currently applying his research to entrepreneurial ventures, as a founding partner of the Huffington Post news site and BuzzFeed, a startup company that detects and accelerates on-line buzz about movies, music, technology, or any topic that is generating excitement.

Peretti is a graduate of the MIT Media Lab. He founded the Macarthur Foundation funded Eyebeam OpenLab, and has taught courses at NYU and Parsons. The New York Times, the Economist, and Time Magazine have covered his work and he has appeared on the Today Show, Good Morning America, and CNN. He lives with his wife in Manhattan.