This week, I sat down with Brian Sozzi, executive editor and host of Opening Bid at Yahoo Finance.
Did you always want to be a journalist? If not, what was the turning point or experience that made you choose the path of journalism?
No. I started as a stock analyst for the first 10 years of my career. I didn’t go to a big college; in fact, the college I went to (Dowling College) is no longer open! I put myself through college by being a golf caddy. In the early 2000s, the market was hot, and it was all about, “How do you become a stockbroker?” All the people I caddied for sold stocks or were somehow tied to investing. But I wasn’t sure if I wanted to sell stocks over the phone in the hopes of striking it rich. So, I looked for alternative routes into finance that also played into my strengths: Enter stock analyst. Longtime Fox Business host Charles Payne owned independent stock research firm Wall Street Strategies and hired me fresh out of that no-name college. I was initially covering 30 companies as a junior analyst, then more than 50 as senior analyst. What’s normal for an analyst is to cover 10 to 20 companies at most, but I loved the hustle and trial by fire, and to see how much I could push myself each day to new extremes. I covered retail, railroads, video gaming, oil—you name it. I was a few years into that position when I looked in the mirror and asked myself, “Are you truly following your passion and using all your skills? Do you want to be doing this for the next 10 years?” That is a tough conversation to have with yourself when you are doing well.
I always loved writing stories as a kid, even in my free time outside of school. All my stock research reports were handwritten, and then I would type them up before sending out—I always thought it helped me craft the story better. And believe me, investing is one part storytelling! Once I leaned into the fact that I liked storytelling as well as investing, I started thinking, “What would it take to be a journalist?” I didn’t go to school to be a journalist: I got a business degree. I didn't have a traditional journalism background, so I figured business journalism was the next best thing. I was appearing on Yahoo Finance, CNBC, Bloomberg, and Fox Business talking about my stock calls, in effect giving me a taste of business journalism and what I could be doing. Somehow, Jim Cramer—the Babe Ruth of business journalism, in my view—came across my work and asked me to write for his Real Money platform on TheStreet.com. I was in my late 20s, and the industry’s Babe Ruth just sent me an email to write an investing column. I actually couldn’t believe 1) I got an email from Jim; and 2) my face and work would be appearing next to his face and his work on a website. It was an honor. Then one column a week became two a week, then five a week and videos, and I said, “I think it’s time to go all in.” I was terrified of giving up the steady income from being an analyst and entering the unknown world of independent business journalism, at least to me at the time. It was akin to doing a Substack and a YouTube vodcast almost 10 years before that stuff became popular. But I threw caution to the wind, believed in myself, and felt the universe was telling me to follow financial and business news. So, I basically cut myself off from the outside world for close to two years and went all in on perfecting my craft. Every waking second I spent figuring out how to write the next great column or do a great video. I woke up thinking about it at 3 a.m., and went to bed at midnight still thinking about it. In the middle of doing that was a workout. I felt I had an obligation to not let myself down, or Jim down for giving me that shot.
I was writing columns for RealMoney, and the editorial team at TheStreet—which owned RealMoney—asked me to come on as a consumer reporter. I had all the financial knowledge of Target and Walmart and the economy, but I wasn’t a trained journalist, so it took me a bit to figure out how to report, but do it in my own unique way. I had unique skills as an analyst but needed to learn how to find steady streams of sources, how to bring a story to life, how to deal with multiple stories on tight deadlines, and how to get CEOs, CFOs, and entire C-suites to talk with me. It was also trial by fire. Shout out to my first editor, Nelson Wang, and first editor in chief, Janet Guyon—both indeed showed me the journalism ropes. And believe me, the early days were a lesson in humility. From there, though, I found success and was promoted to consumer editor leading the consumer reporting team. I was lucky enough to work with then-new TheStreet CEO David Callaway, a veteran business news journalist who was formerly editor in chief of USA Today. At the helm as chairman of TheStreet at the time was MarketWatch founder Larry Kramer. So here I am somehow now working for three titans in business journalism: Jim Cramer, Larry Kramer, and David Callaway. I had no idea how, but I was on for the ride and appreciated being on it! The power trio went on to promote me to executive editor at TheStreet, and it was one of the happiest days of my life. To get to lead a storied publication like that was a lot to initially take in. TheStreet was struggling to get its editorial operation back into high octane, and I believed it was my mission, out of respect for those three leaders, to do everything I humanly could to lead TheStreet to success. I woke up every single day thinking about how to boost page views, subscriptions, social media, create amazing videos, and better the team. How could I utilize the assets we had—which included M&A and activism publication The Deal—and enter the promised land in a fast-changing media landscape. I mean, we were a public company at the time: What we did each day on editorial mattered greatly! I took it all very personally in terms of the mission. The next two years of my life were a blur as I put in the hard work, but TheStreet came back. We won a SABEW award in the commentary category, a category TheStreet helped define years earlier. Views increased a lot. Subscribers grew. We got big interviews again. We got back in our groove and to the place where we deserved to be—a place in the market Jim helped create years earlier before anyone else. I still get fired up telling this story. In some respects I feel like in my head, I am still doing that job. In these leadership positions, you’re always “in it” every day—crafting that story, mentoring a colleague, developing tentpole events—and you never take time to reflect on the path that led you here. In my mind, I still approach stories from the lens of an analyst and try to use all of the skills Charles imparted on me. I still ask myself, “How would Larry and David manage this situation from a leadership and business perspective?” I still think about how Jim would approach a story after an earnings call. I am incredibly grateful to have worked closely with those four in the first 12 years of my career and to have absorbed all of their knowledge.
You've been a journalist for two decades, working as a contributor at Forbes and Men’s Health, and then as a staff journalist at TheStreet, and now Yahoo Finance for the past seven years. You were Yahoo Finance's first-ever editor at large and first executive editor, and are a member of Yahoo Finance's editorial/content leadership team. What has your experience been like helping to build the company’s multimedia business into one of the most respected and largest in the industry?
When I was an analyst, I remember when Yahoo Finance first launched video around 2012. Here I am doing one of my first-ever media hits there around that time. I go to this small building in New York, and Jeff Macke, an investor and former CNBC contributor, and Matt Nesto, a former CNBC journalist, usher me onto set to tape something called Yahoo Finance Breakout. It was a video, but kind of TV, too. Both of those guys showed me a lot on how to create great, engaging business news video. I am super grateful to them for taking me under their wings over the course of many hits over a period of three years. So it was then that I really got to fall in love with the Yahoo Finance brand and mission to help the everyday investor be the best version of themselves.
So when business news legend Andy Serwer—then editor in chief of Yahoo Finance—asked me to join in late 2018, it was a huge honor. I came into the New York Yankees of business news and investing platforms, and I had a general understanding of the brand. This was an amazing place that had existed for decades before me, with millions of people coming here every day to check their portfolios, use our awesome data, and consume content, whether it’s video or text. I had the benefit of this tremendous platform already being a beast in the greatest way possible.
When I came in, though, the mission was to launch a livestreaming TV network on the world’s largest business news and investing platform. Despite that big name and huge reach, the early days of launching our on-air coverage were challenging in the sense that we had to cut our teeth in the space and prove to top C-suite leaders and newsmakers outside of the C-suite that they needed to come on with us and tell us their stories. We had to gain the trust of sources. We had to gel as a larger team. We had to find news to break. But damn it, we have done it through a lot of heart, a lot of grit, a lot of attention to detail, and a desire to take calculated big swings. At the core of this each and every day: To be the trusted guide through the financial wilderness for investors. That’s the fuel that ignites everything we do here.
It’s been incredibly fast-paced and rewarding, and I am not sure where seven years has gone. I have gotten to interact with some of the most influential people in the world on- and off-camera. Yahoo CEO Jim Lanzone has fundamentally changed the trajectory and culture at this company, and I am really lucky to be here under his great leadership. We are winning! Yahoo Finance’s general manager and president, Tapan Bhat, has helped rebirth Yahoo Finance. He has just done amazing work. Julie Iannuzzi leading our video operation has changed the game for us. Our head of content, Anthony Galloway, has helped turbocharge our coverage. And we have tremendous leaders at Yahoo Media in Ryan Spoon and George Leimer helping us take things to a whole new level of high octane across the board. The team here is so talented from top to bottom that I can really name-drop 75 or 100 more people, but I won’t because we will run out of time. I mean, I got to interview a sitting president last year in President Joe Biden. I am the same guy whose college isn’t even open anymore, and I was writing stock research reports! I’m doing my life’s work in real-time, and I am thankful for the platform I have and grateful to have helped build new muscle on it over the past seven years.
You’ve interviewed thousands of CEOs, from Jamie Dimon to David Solomon to Doug McMillion to Mary Barra. You also interviewed a sitting president in 2024, then-President Joe Biden, and sat down with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent this year. I even saw in your interviews with Patrick Mahomes and Brooks Koepka. What are some of your favorite interviews, and why were they so memorable?
Every interview is my favorite. I approach every interview like it’s the last time I’m talking to these people for whatever reason. That mindset keeps you appreciative and in the moment.
I have had a great longtime relationship with Panera Bread’s founder, Ron Shaich. He’s still a very active CEO (just not at Panera), and he’s turned into my leadership mentor for the past 10 years. My time spent with him is very rewarding because I learn more than about just business and restaurants—I learn a lot about life.
Dan Schulman, former CEO of PayPal, is another combo of leadership mentor and someone with whom I can discuss things for stories. Dan is one of the most thoughtful leaders I have been around in my career, and it’s always a treat to chat him up at an event.
Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol—I met him at Taco Bell’s investor day nine years ago when he was leading the chain. We have stayed in touch ever since, and he has given me a good number of interviews. Then he took over Chipotle and now is the CEO of Starbucks. It has been very interesting to watch and report on Brian driving turnarounds at storied consumer brands. It’s not easy!
Procter & Gamble CEO Jon Moeller: He was CFO, then COO, then he became CEO in 2021 and is now retiring. I have talked to him through it all starting back when I was at TheStreet. I’m covering leaders’ lives and entire careers in some cases. It’s special and important to me.
As a reporter, my advice to reporters is to talk to everyone. Talk to the person who might get promoted to COO. Talk to the business development person. Talk to the store manager—you never know where one’s career will lead them. Make connections early on, and make them every single day.
In addition to anchoring Yahoo Finance’s Opening Bid daily live show, you also host the Opening Bid Unfiltered podcast, and you launched and are a regular contributor to Yahoo Finance’s feature series and live network. You also write online pieces and have a massive following on social. How do you split your time and keep up with it all?
I told myself when I was making the transformation from analyst to journalist—and it fits with my life mantra—you have to be all in. No other option.
All in to me means a disciplined schedule each day, one that is carefully planned out months in advance (with holes left open, of course, since I am in news and, well, life occasionally happens!). I’m up at 2:40 a.m., getting on a 3:10 a.m. train. I’ve been doing this for 22 years. If news breaks at 5 a.m., I’m writing the story, because I am in it and love to be in it. I think I've been successful in this job because I take things really seriously and move with speed to learn, adapt, and grow in all facets. I’ve dedicated my life to this field, and I truly love doing this work and helping people wherever they may be. Users come to our platform daily to read stories because they trust Yahoo Finance. People watch us on streaming platforms around the clock—we’re their daily lifeline to investing. Delivering on this is something the team takes great pride in.
I’m high-energy, as you know, and serious—and I just want to win. In my head, I just need to win, whatever that may entail. I’ve always felt that to make that happen, I just have to keep the pedal down every single day.
I made a pact to myself, and I refuse to break it. I live in fear of missing a headline and not being where I need to be to help people live their best lives. I can’t turn that switch off. It’s in my DNA.
Off-topic, but what’s your Zodiac sign? You have to be a fire sign. Are you an Aries?
Oh my God. How did you guess that? Yes, I’m an Aries. Born on April 4!
You’re the co-creator and lead on the annual fall Yahoo Finance Invest conference, and you are at every major event from the World Economic Forum in Davos to Milken, Dreamforce, and Cannes Lions. What role do you play in these conferences? Should PR folks be pitching you speakers? Interviews? Both?
For Milken and Davos, these are the biggest outside conferences Yahoo Finance attends, and we’ve built our name and reputation going toe-to-toe with some of the biggest traditional broadcast names in the business. I have thrived on the competition.
As for my role, I book CEOs and other world leaders for the events. CEOs, celebs—you name it. I work my relationships to make it happen. Then, I’m on-air doing the interviews. I work alongside an amazing team that coordinates and brings it all to life. I try to do interviews on camera and then also write articles along with it, then I also put a lot of stuff in our Sunday Morning Brief newsletter that I write. So, PR folks, if you have a CEO or leader going to one of these conferences, drop me a line!
As for Yahoo Finance’s own conference, we first called it the All Market Summit when I got here and now call it the Invest conference. This year will be the 11th annual conference—it’s our Super Bowl event of the year. And believe me, we have something very special planned for Nov. 12 and 13. It’s our own conference that we put on, with an amazing group of speakers who come every year. and it’s the best representation of Yahoo Finance. I am the main guest booker for the conference, work with the head of content ironing out the editorial plan, moderate interviews, and help guide the wider moderator team on topics—but then I’m also a bit of a figurehead at the event, focused on connecting with people. I really enjoy interacting with investors online or in-person. They ask me about stocks, interviews, executives—and I appreciate them asking amazing questions.
You’re incredibly active on social media. Do you do your own social?
Yes, I do my own social and always will. Every letter and number matters on social media. It mattered 10 years ago, and it matters today. I always have a rule to never fight with anyone on social—I keep it actionable, fun, positive, and informative. It’s an extension of me personally. I’m a representative of Yahoo Finance and Yahoo and conduct myself in that capacity.
Yahoo hit its 30th anniversary this year, and it’s still a massive media property, led by Yahoo Finance, Yahoo Sports, Yahoo News, and Yahoo Mail. Given these leadership positions, what are you most excited about for Yahoo’s future?
I feel like in so many ways, we’re only scratching the surface at Yahoo, even after 30 years. I don’t want to speak for all, but for Yahoo Finance, we are charging hard into the vodcast space and continuing to push the boundaries of what’s possible on live business news programming and on social. It’s a special time to be at Yahoo Finance, and we can’t wait to bring it in 2026.
As an executive editor for Yahoo Finance, you cover Wall Street, market trends, stocks, and analysis and interview some of the most prominent CEOs leading business today. What’s driving your coverage these days?
The Trump administration. Their policies have truly touched every portion of the C-suite, whether it’s tariffs, concerns about inflation, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, or expectations around tax planning. There’s a lot going on in government that will impact the next five years for corporate America.
Also, AI: Jobs are fundamentally changing, and we’re now seeing early signs of how they’re changing and will change, and what it will mean to the labor force.
And lastly, the rise of the retail investor very much remains a story we are plugged into at Yahoo Finance. They are a passionate bunch and quite sophisticated. They have moved well beyond meme stock trading to thinking about how to allocate money to crypto and the next big investment thesis.
How, in your opinion, has the role of journalism changed over the past few years?
Speed has only increased in terms of how fast you need to get a story out—how fast you need to serve your user base, from homepage layouts to what goes behind a paywall. Content is being consumed at a rapid pace.
I think you’ll see more of a premium being put on trusted brands in media. If you're able to create content that cuts through the clutter, you’re likely in good standing.
We did a series here called Lead This Way. For one taping, I spent half a day in the park with Target’s CEO in Queens at the same playground he went to when he was little. Another taping found me in an electric car plant with GM CEO Mary Barra. We were creating content that cut through internet clutter, and that breakthrough content was rewarded.
What are some trends in journalism that you're seeing and that are here to stay?
I take it as a given because I’ve been doing it for a while, but one needs to be a multitool journalist. The newsroom at Yahoo Finance—we have text stories we write, we’re on the phone with sources, we’re doing on-air reporting, creating podcasts, we are on social media, or at a conference and doing video at the drop of a dime at these events. You have to have all these different skills or want to obtain these skills. At the core of them is reporting and storytelling. However, you also need to know where the content is living at the end of the day. What’s helpful on LinkedIn may not be a great post on X for whatever reason. Something on the website might not translate to a great live TV moment. So, modern-day journalists have to navigate all of these changes in media. Those who will excel understand where content is going and will want to wear many hats at a very quick pace.
As a journalist, do you consider yourself a content creator?
Technically speaking, I’m creating content—and a lot of content—every day. I view myself as a high-energy tour guide—a tour guide who happens to be a journalist. You trust me to get you through the financial woods safely, and you will have learned something about a berry or tree in the process.
What do the best PR pitches you get include?
I’m now at a point where I get a lot of pitches, but also direct interaction on specific things. A lot of the people I have on air are people who just reach out to me, “XYZ person is available,” or, “We’re acquiring this company,” or, “News is about to break about X.” I have been able to build up that level of trust with key people.
The best pitch is one that is tailor-made for the Yahoo Finance investing audience.
Do you only cover public companies?
We primarily cover public companies, but we do cover private companies. Our new private markets data is a must visit each day. But at the bare minimum, the story has to pass through the filters of what it means to our investing audience, and does it really have impact.
What's the best way to pitch you a story?
Come to me directly. I like to hear from people. Drop me an email. If you don’t hear from me, don’t be insulted.
What about pitches via social?
I get messages on X and LinkedIn, but I might miss those because I get a lot of interactions and notifications—so email is best.