Ethan WardProduct strategist and journalist
I help teams build products people trust and come back to.
I lead product strategy and growth, from user research to launch and the numbers that decide what happens next. I also report on AI with support from the Pulitzer Center and Omidyar Network. My AI newsletter, The Thread, won a 2026 Online Journalism Award.
- 2026 Online Journalism AwardExcellence in AI Innovation, for The Thread
- 18Awards in journalism and storytelling
- Pulitzer Center and Omidyar NetworkGrants for AI accountability reporting
- 94%Reader retention across 39 issues of The Thread
What teams hire me for
Consulting projects, contract roles and full-time roles. Every project starts with the people using the product.
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01
Product strategy and growth
Research, roadmap, launch and measurement, with the success metric agreed before anything ships. I’ve relaunched products around what the data showed and grown new channels from zero.
The Thread held a 54% open rate and 94% retention across 39 issues.
Start a project -
02
AI strategy and governance
Deciding where AI belongs in your product and how to explain it to the people it affects. MSc in human-computer interaction, AI Policy Certificate from CAIDP.
2026 Online Journalism Award, Excellence in AI Innovation.
See my AI work -
03
Communications
Messaging that makes complicated subjects clear to customers, employees and the press. Thought leadership, newsletters and campaigns, from someone who knows what reporters need because he’s been one.
2026 Communicator Award of Distinction for an email series. Branded stories for Stacker Studio clients, syndicated to nearly 4,000 media partners.
See comms work
How I work
The same process on any product, from a newsletter to an app.
- 01
Research
Pair what people say in surveys and interviews with what they do in the data, and let both set what gets built next.
- 02
Decide
Write the decision down: the recommendation, the evidence and the tradeoffs, so everyone can see why.
- 03
Build
Design for the team that has to run it. One relaunch cut production to half a day, doable by any trained staffer.
- 04
Measure
Track every part of the product from day one, and set the date the numbers decide what stays.
Selected work
Products, research and campaigns, with the results.
The ThreadAn AI-assisted newsletter run as a measured experiment. 94% retention and a 2026 Online Journalism Award.
4Newsletters, plus membershipand community channels AfroLAProduct and growth for a Los Angeles newsroom, from its newsletters and membership program to the reader experience on its site. 27Pages, with expert
panels in Kenya and Nigeria Fighting Misinformation in AfricaPolicy white paper on AI misinformation for The Black Policy Institute. ~4KMedia partners
per story Stacker StudioBranded stories on AI for business clients, syndicated nationally.
“Ethan runs our products, from newsletters and membership to how readers experience our site. He thinks about what readers need and what keeps the newsroom going at the same time, and that combination is hard to find.”
Speaking
Talks on responsible AI and housing, for conferences, funders and newsrooms.
Book a talk- Bellwether HousingKeynote, Closer to Home Luncheon
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentFair Housing Month
- Slate’s “What Next” with Mary HarrisTwo appearances
- KCRWGreater LA
I’m not on social media. Not even LinkedIn.
This is as close as it gets.
From the AI Governance Briefing
What happens when AI policy meets practice. New analysis added regularly.
Let’s work together
Tell me what you’re working on, what you need and when you need it. I take on product and AI strategy projects, contract and full-time roles, and talks.