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Nick Bilton

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Nick Bilton
Bilton in 2014
Born1976 or 1977 (age 49–50)[1]
Darlington, County Durham, England[2]
EducationSchool of Visual Arts
The New School
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
OccupationsJournalist, author and filmmaker
EmployerCBS News
Notable workHatching Twitter (2013)
American Kingpin (2017)
Fake Famous (2021)

Nicholas Bilton (born 1976[1]) is a British-American journalist, author, and filmmaker. He was named executive producer of 60 Minutes on 28 May 2026.[3] He has also been a special correspondent at Vanity Fair, author of a number of New York Times-bestselling books, and a screenwriter. He worked at the Times for 13 years, then at Vanity Fair for 10.

Early life and education

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Nicholas Bilton was born in Darlington, England,[4] to Terence Bilton and his wife Sandra (née Jacobs). Bilton's parents were from Jewish families - although Bilton's mother gave up Judaism as a teenager - and together they had three children before they split up. Bilton's mother later remarried.[5] Nick moved to the United States and attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.[6]

Bilton has described some of his initial jobs prior to starting his career: as a restaurant employee, garment industry courier, hair salon worker, and as a birthday party performer.[7] He also studied at The New School and the School of Visual Arts, both in New York City.[8][9]

Career

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Bilton worked at The New York Times from 2003 to 2016, as a design editor in the newsroom and a researcher in the research and development labs. Before he left, he was a technology columnist and the lead writer for the Bits blog.[10] While at the Times, CBS News offered him a position, which he declined.[10]

In 2016, he left The New York Times to become a special correspondent for Vanity Fair,[11] where he wrote features and columns. He co-wrote the 2015–2019 Vanity Fair New Establishment List.[12]

Also in 2016, Bilton fought, and won, a First Amendment lawsuit when he was deposed to testify in a class action lawsuit against Twitter. That followed an article he wrote in Vanity Fair, “Twitter Is Betting Everything on Jack Dorsey. Will It Work?”[13] alleging that the company knowingly deceived investors in 2015 about its users’ daily and monthly engagement with the site.[14]

In 2021, HBO released Fake Famous, a documentary film Bilton wrote, directed and produced about social media and influencer culture.[15] Bilton is credited as a staff writer on HBO's 2023 series The Idol.[16]

In 2025 it was announced that Bilton would write the screenplay for a new Martin Scorsese film, starring Dwayne Johnson, Leonardo DiCaprio and Emily Blunt, set to be staged in Hawaii.[17] Bilton will also produce the film.[18]

On May 28, 2026, CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss tapped Bilton to become the executive producer of the network's flagship 60 Minutes news magazine, his first assignment at a weekly news program.[19] During the first team meeting with Bilton, veteran CBS correspondent Scott Pelley voiced concerns about Bilton’s lack of experience in a newsroom, and his belief that Bari Weiss and CBS were ruining 60 Minutes. The following day, Bilton fired Pelley.[20][21] The day after that, Bilton sent a memorandum to 60 Minutes staff describing the values and vision that he seeks to maintain at the show.[22][23][24]

Bilton has been an adjunct professor at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts. As part of NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program (ITP), he has taught two courses called "1, 2, 10," and "Telling Stories with Data, Sensors and Humans".[25][26]

Books

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In 2012

Bilton is the author of three books:

  • Hatching Twitter. A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship and Betrayal. Penguin Portfolio, New York, 2010. ISBN 978-1-59184-601-7.[27]
  • I Live in the Future & Here's How It Works: Why Your World, Work, and Brain Are Being Creatively Disrupted. Random House, New York, 2012. ISBN 978-0-307-59111-1.[28]
  • American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road. Penguin, New York, 2017. ISBN 978-1-59184-814-1.

Hatching Twitter told the story of Twitter's early days and its four founders—Evan Williams, Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, and Biz Stone—who are portrayed as "mediocrities, narcissists and mopers who seem to spend as much time on scheming, self-promotion and self-destruction as on anything else", according to Tim Wu's review in the Washington Post.[29] The book was optioned by Lionsgate in 2013, yet as of 2026 no series has been produced.[30]

American Kingpin, published in May 2017, tells the story of the Silk Road marketplace, its founder Ross Ulbricht (who went by "Dread Pirate Roberts"), and how U.S. law enforcement arrested him.[31][32] In June 2017, The Hollywood Reporter reported that the Coen brothers and Steven Zaillian were adapting the book into a movie.[33]

Filmography

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YearTitledirectorWriterProducer
2019 The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley Alex Gibney No Yes
2021 Fake Famous Nick Bilton Yes Yes
2024 Biggest Heist Ever[34][35] - No Yes
TBA Untitled Hawaii-Set Crime Drama Martin Scorsese Yes Yes

Personal life

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Bilton and his wife Chrysta have two children. As of 2022, their home was in Los Angeles, having moved to L.A. in 2014 from San Francisco.[36][37] Chrysta Bilton is the author of a book titled Normal Family: On Truth, Love, and How I Met My 35 Siblings.[37]

See also

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References

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  1. 1 2 Mullin, Benjamin and Grynbaum, Michael. "CBS News Names Outsider to Lead ‘60 Minutes’ as Part of Major Shake-Up", New York Times (28 May 2026).
  2. ↑ "Nick Bilton - Agent, Manager, Publicist Contact Info". Booking Agent Info. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  3. ↑ "CBS News Names Outsider to Lead '60 Minutes' as Part of Major Shake-Up". Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  4. ↑ Segarra, Eric (4 June 2026). "Who is Nick Bilton? '60 Minutes' producer clashes with Scott Pelley". USA Today. Retrieved 7 June 2026.
  5. ↑ ”OBITUARIES & APPRECIATIONS Sandra Reston”, Yorkshire Post (21 Mar 2015).
  6. ↑ Bilton, Nick (16 February 2018). "What Marjory Stoneman Douglas, My Alma Mater, Should Teach the G.O.P." Vanity Fair. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
  7. ↑ Bilton, Nick (7 August 2015). "What Steve Jobs Taught Me About Being a Son and a Father". New York Times. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  8. ↑ St. John, Warren. "Sinister Designs", Lingua Franca, Vol. 6 (1995).
  9. ↑ Bilton, Nick. "Nick Bilton". LinkedIn. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  10. 1 2 "Nick Bilton Turns Down $1.5 Million+ from CBS/CNET, Stays at NY Times". Uncrunched. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  11. ↑ "The 60-second interview: Nick Bilton, Special Correspondent, Vanity Fair". Politico. 22 April 2016. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  12. ↑ "New Establishment 2015 | Vanity Fair | Vanity Fair". www.vanityfair.com. Archived from the original on 14 September 2015.
  13. ↑ Bilton, Nick (1 June 2016). "Twitter Is Betting Everything on Jack Dorsey. Will It Work?". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  14. ↑ Frankel, Alison (21 September 2021). "Twitter investors want Vanity Fair writer to testify at securities class action trial". Reuters. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  15. ↑ Fry, Naomi (20 February 2021). "Fake Famous" and the Tedium of Influencer Culture?". The New Yorker. Retrieved 16 February 2022.
  16. ↑ "Nick Bilton - IMDB". imdb.com.
  17. ↑ Fleming Jr, Mike; Kroll, Justin (20 February 2025). "Town Says Aloha To A Hawaii-Set 'Goodfellas' Meets 'The Departed:' Scorsese, DiCaprio, Dwayne Johnson & Emily Blunt Top Crime Drama Package". Deadline. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
  18. ↑ Gajewski, Ryan (20 February 2025). "Leonardo DiCaprio, Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt Eyeing Hawaii-Set Crime Film for Martin Scorsese". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 9 April 2025.
  19. ↑ Mullin, Benjamin (28 May 2026). "Bari Weiss Names Nick Bilton to Lead CBS's '60 Minutes'". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 May 2026.
  20. ↑ Weprin, Alex (3 June 2026). "Scott Pelley Fired From '60 Minutes' After Ripping New Leadership in Tense Meeting". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  21. ↑ Simonetti, Joe Flint and Isabella (1 June 2026). "'60 Minutes' Staff Meeting Turns Hostile for New Executive Producer". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
  22. ↑ Bilton, Nick. "Read Nick Bilton’s Memo to ‘60 Minutes’ Staff", New York Times (4 Jun 2026).
  23. ↑ Mullin, Benjamin and Grynbaum, Michael. "New '60 Minutes' Chief Promises Independence in Bid to Reassure Staff", New York Times (4 Jun 2026).
  24. ↑ Stelter, Brian. "CBS News races to steady ‘60 Minutes’ after Scott Pelley’s firing", CNN (4 Jun 2026): "On Thursday, Bilton wrote a memo to staff trying to reassure them that he shares their values and vision."
  25. ↑ "Nick Bilton", WGBH-TV (accessed 3 June 2026).
  26. ↑ "Telling Stories with Data, Sensors & Humans", Tisch ITP (accessed 3 June 2026).
  27. ↑ Burkeman, Oliver (13 November 2013). "Hatching Twitter by Nick Bilton – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  28. ↑ "The Conversation: Nick Bilton Explains the Future". ABC News. Retrieved 9 April 2013.
  29. ↑ Tim Wu (19 December 2013). "Book review: 'Hatching Twitter' by Nick Bilton". Washington Post. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  30. ↑ Marechal, A.J. (18 December 2013). "Lionsgate Adapting Nick Bilton's 'Hatching Twitter' for TV". Variety.
  31. ↑ Tiku, Nitasha (12 June 2017). "How the Dark Web's Dread Pirate Roberts Went Down". New York Times. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  32. ↑ Dilworth, Dianna. "Nick Bilton to Write Silk Road Book". Adweek. Archived from the original on 18 September 2016. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
  33. ↑ Tatiana Siegel; Natalie Jarvey (2 June 2017). "Steve Zaillian to Write Fox Thriller 'Dark Web'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  34. ↑ Roth, Emma (12 February 2022). "Netflix orders docuseries on crypto laundering couple". The Verge. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  35. ↑ Brodsky, Rachel (6 December 2024). "The True Story Behind Netflix's 'Biggest Heist Ever'". TIME. Retrieved 30 January 2025.
  36. ↑ Bilton, Nick and Isaac, Mike. Goodbye, for Now, San Francisco”, The New York Times (28 Jun 2014).
  37. 1 2 Brisco, Elise (12 July 2022). "Chrysta Bilton and her 35 siblings redefine the 'Normal Family': 'Every family has its quirks'". USA Today. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
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