Parmy Olson

{{Short description|Journalist}}{{Infobox person | name = Parmy Olson | image = | caption = | occupation = Journalist, author | years_active = 2000s–present | employer = [[The Wall Street Journal]] (current), formerly [[Forbes]] | known_for = ''[[Forbes]]'' bureau chief, reporting on [[Anonymous (group)|Anonymous]] | notable_works = [[Supremacy: AI, ChatGPT and the race that will change the world]] | awards = Financial Times Business Book of the Year (2024) }}

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2013}} '''Parmy Olson''' is a tech journalist for ''[[The Wall Street Journal]].'' While at ''[[Forbes]]'', she was known for her work on the [[hacktivist]] movement [[Anonymous (group)|Anonymous]]. She describes herself as covering "agitators and innovators in mobile".{{cite web |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/ |title=Parmy Olson |work=Forbes |accessdate=May 6, 2013 |archivedate=May 3, 2013 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130503111710/http://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/ |url-status=live }}

Early in her career with ''Forbes'', she wrote a series of articles about the [[subprime mortgage crisis]]. She served as ''Forbes''{{'}} London bureau chief from 2008–12 before moving to the magazine's [[San Francisco]] office.{{cite web |url=https://blogs.forbes.com/people/polson/ |title=Parmy Olson profile |work=Forbes |accessdate=May 6, 2013 |archivedate=May 6, 2013 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130506140102/http://blogs.forbes.com/people/polson/ |url-status=dead }}

Olson won the 2024 [[Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award|''Financial Times'' Business Book of the Year Award]] for ''[[Supremacy: AI, ChatGPT and the race that will change the world]]''.{{Cite web |date=2024-12-11 |title='Supremacy' wins 2024 FT Business Book of the Year |url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2024/12/11/263863/supremacy-wins-2024-ft-business-book-of-the-year/ |access-date=2024-12-12 |publisher=Books+Publishing}}

==''We Are Anonymous''== In 2012, [[Little, Brown and Company]] published her book ''We Are Anonymous: Inside the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous, and the Global Cyber Insurgency''. Prior to writing it, Olson had spent a year researching Anonymous.{{cite web |url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/6/7/3070945/parmy-olson-inside-anonymous-five-minutes-on-the-verge |title=Inside Anonymous: an interview with Parmy Olson |author=Jesse Hicks |date=June 7, 2012 |publisher=The Verge |accessdate=May 6, 2013 |archivedate=April 12, 2013 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130412123800/http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/7/3070945/parmy-olson-inside-anonymous-five-minutes-on-the-verge |url-status=live }} The book details the early rise of Anonymous on the [[4chan]] imageboard and chronicles the cyberattacks of [[Project Chanology]] (an anti-[[Church of Scientology]] protest) and [[Operation Payback]] (retaliation for actions against [[The Pirate Bay]] and [[WikiLeaks]], respectively). In the book's later chapters, Olson follows the exploits and eventual arrests of Anonymous spinoff group [[LulzSec]], formed by hacktivists [[Hector Xavier Monsegur|Sabu]], [[Topiary (hacktivist)|Topiary]], and others.{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/01/books/we-are-anonymous-by-parmy-olson.html?_r=0 |title=The Secret Lives of Dangerous Hackers: 'We Are Anonymous' by Parmy Olson |author=Janet Maslin |date=May 31, 2012 |work=The New York Times |accessdate=May 6, 2013 |archivedate=June 5, 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120605012130/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/01/books/we-are-anonymous-by-parmy-olson.html?_r=1 |url-status=live }}

[[Janet Maslin]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' called ''We Are Anonymous'' a "lively, startling book". Rowan Kaiser of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' said the book was "an eminently human tale" that moves "from an interesting retelling of recent events into a bigger metaphorical story about order and chaos in activist communities"; Kaiser gave it a grade of "A".{{cite web |url=https://www.avclub.com/parmy-olson-we-are-anonymous-1798173343 |title=We Are Anonymous: Parmy Olson |author=Rowan Kaiser |date=July 2, 2012 |work=The A.V. Club |access-date=May 6, 2013 |archive-date=May 30, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130530121634/http://www.avclub.com/articles/parmy-olson-we-are-anonymous%2C81999/ |url-status=live }} Olson appeared on ''[[The Daily Show with Jon Stewart]]'' to discuss the book on June 18, 2012.{{cite web |url=http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-june-18-2012/parmy-olson |title=Parmy Olson |date=June 18, 2012 |work=The Daily Show |accessdate=May 6, 2013 |archivedate=May 11, 2013 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130511224501/http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-june-18-2012/parmy-olson |url-status=live }} ''[[The Daily (News Corporation)|The Daily]]'' called it "a brilliant book": "a masterpiece of shoe-leather journalism, a fast-paced, richly detailed account of the group’s beginnings, various schisms and most spectacular attacks".{{cite web |url=http://www.thedaily.com/page/2012/06/03/060312-books-anonymous-moynihan-1-3/ |title=For the Hack of It: To LulzSec, the guilty and innocent alike are worthy targets |author=Michael C. Moynihan |date=June 3, 2012 |work=The Daily |accessdate=May 6, 2013 |archivedate=May 6, 2013 |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130506121354/http://www.thedaily.com/page/2012/06/03/060312-books-anonymous-moynihan-1-3/ |url-status=live }}

''[[Kirkus Reviews]]'' praised Olson's depictions of some events, but stated that the descriptions of Anonymous infighting were "lengthy" and "tiresome". The review concluded that ''We Are Anonymous'' was "certain to thrill 4chan readers, hackers and others on the Internet’s fringe, but may struggle to hold the interest of casual readers."{{cite web |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/parmy-olson/we-are-anonymous/ |title=We Are Anonymous: Inside the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous, and the Global Cyber Insurgency |work=Kirkus Reviews |accessdate=May 6, 2013 |archivedate=March 3, 2016 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303210517/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/parmy-olson/we-are-anonymous/ |url-status=live }} [[Quinn Norton]] of ''Wired'' wrote a negative review of the book, criticizing Olson's grasp of technical detail, her focus on criminal elements of Anonymous, and her perceived failure to acknowledge the difficulties of writing about a group known for secrecy, dishonesty, and self-aggrandizement. She concludes her review, "the only voices in Olson's book are those of the small groups of hackers who stole the limelight from a legion, defied their values, and crashed violently into the law. It was a mediagenic story to be sure, but in the end, it turns out to be not the real story of Anonymous, and not a story with any real meaning."{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/06/anonymous-parmy-olson-review/all/ |title=In Flawed, Epic Anonymous Book, the Abyss Gazes Back |author=Quinn Norton |date=June 13, 2012 |magazine=Wired |accessdate=May 6, 2013 |archivedate=September 20, 2012 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120920213942/http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/06/anonymous-parmy-olson-review/all/ |url-status=live }}

== References == {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== External links ==

• {{URL|https://www.forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/|Official website}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Olson, Parmy}} [[Category:Anonymous (hacker group)]] [[Category:Business and financial journalists]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]