Hard Fork Hosts Lay Out 2026 Tech Resolutions: Short Videos, Presence and a Stable Productivity Stack

Kevin Roose and Casey Newton opened their first episode of 2026 by reviewing last year’s goals and announcing new tech resolutions for the year ahead. Roose began with a personal travel anecdote: on a cross-country flight his child’s Netflix downloads had expired, but a seatmate showed him that Bluetooth headphones can now pair with the in-seat TV, which he credited with saving the trip.

Newton said his 2025 resolution—to get “medium good” at meditation using AI—didn’t become a habit. He described other steps that helped him recover from burnout, including ketamine treatment, taking breaks and reconnecting with a sense of professional purpose at a conference. Roose said his 2025 goal to be more of the poster he wanted to see online had modest success: he posted more freely, embraced niche conversations and learned not to try to please everyone.

For 2026, Roose outlined two resolutions: to get good at short-form video and to be more present. He said journalists must learn the video landscape because audiences increasingly consume news in short-video formats, and he also wants to compartmentalize phone use to focus better on the moment.

Newton’s 2026 resolution is to avoid changing his productivity system for a year after finally settling on a workflow he likes.

Key Topics

Tech, Kevin Roose, Casey Newton, Short-form Video, United Airlines, Netflix