There is an incredible amount of free information on the Internet, but it is easy to assume that the most valuable guidance is right at our fingertips. In fact, carefully curated insights are still difficult to find – and often worth paying for.
Here are six indispensable paid resources that will help you become an even stronger tech leader, whether you are flying solo or managing a considerable team effort.
Harvard Business Review
HBR earned its salt as an executive bible, but it has grown tech smarter as the C-suite has become more tech-savvy. One of its recent cover stories discussed the power of digital communication on consumers. The high-end subscription is definitely worthwhile. The magazine subscription also gives you unlimited access to its digital archive, which is limited to a few views per month without subscription.
Wall Street Journal
Not unlike HBR, the Wall Street Journal has expanded well beyond its white-collar roots and dug deep into tech territory. Here you find the balance of covering breaking news with actual depth – and at a daily frequency that is rivaled by few, if any outlets. Paying to unlock the online paywall is good, but the impact of the daily paper is still worth the additional subscription.
MIT Technology Review
While other outlets are business-focused with tech insights, MIT Technology Review is essentially the opposite: A smart tech publication with executive leanings. The content is forward-thinking and thoughtful. It definitely benefits from the exclusive research afforded by the legendary school.
The Economist
The Economist is, ironically, a serious financial and time commitment: Heavy global news delivered every single week. Unlike The New Yorker and other weeklies, though, you probably won’t find an impressive unread stack of them in your office. In fact, the hard-hitting information will give you actionable strategies for your tech leadership. The magazine is essential to your long-term tech vision and goals.
WIRED
It is easy to dismiss the relatively old outlet focused on cutting edge technology, but WIRED is crucial reading for many reasons. First and foremost, it is an excellent cross-section of the far-out and the mainstream (i.e. what your customers will be using at home). Second, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better vision of what is hot now – not next year or next decade, but at this very moment. The relative low-cost subscription makes it an easy addition to your resources.
Bloomberg Businessweek
If The Economist is the highly-intensive weekly juggernaut, Bloomberg Businessweek is the irreverent, iconoclastic cousin. The once conservative publication now takes heavy tech business topics and gives them a startup, Silicon Valley take (the free website is equally punchy). By not taking itself too seriously, Bloomberg Businessweek takes the veneer and pretention out of hot air concepts and vaporware products. In an era filled with tech hype, subscribe to Bloomberg Businessweek to keep your levity.
Editor's note: This post is not sponsored by any of the publications mentioned. It is merely a curated list of resources readers may find useful.
