Headshot of John Thornhill, Sifted's cofounder and editorial director.

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March 3, 2025

The radical uncertainty of being a founder (or war correspondent)

Both are exercises in dealing with radical uncertainty and unknown risks

John Thornhill

4 min read

My few days as a war reporter were inglorious and mercifully trauma-free (for me at least). When I was Moscow correspondent for the Financial Times in the 1990s, I reported on two brutal wars in the breakaway Caucasian republic. My respect for journalistic colleagues who spent far more time in Chechnya, and all other war zones, remains immense. Last year, 104 journalists were killed doing their jobs, half of them in Gaza.

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John Thornhill

John Thornhill is Sifted’s editorial director and cofounder. He is also innovation editor of the Financial Times, and tweets from @johnthornhillft

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