Nicholas Bilton (born 1976) is a British-American journalist, author, and filmmaker. He was named executive producer of 60 Minutes on 28 May 2026. He has also been a special correspondent at Vanity Fair, author of two 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 Nicholas Bilton was born in Darlington, England, 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.”OBITUARIES & APPRECIATIONS Sandra Reston”, Yorkshire Post (21 Mar 2015). Nick moved to the United States and attended Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
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. He also studied at The New School and the School of Visual Arts, both in New York City.St. John, Warren. "Sinister Designs", Lingua Franca, Vol. 6 (1995).
Career 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, later becoming a technology columnist and the lead writer for the Bits blog. While at the Times, CBS News offered him a position, which he declined.
In 2016, he left The New York Times to become a special correspondent for Vanity Fair, where he wrote features and columns. He co-wrote the 2015–2019 Vanity Fair New Establishment List.
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?” alleging that the company knowingly deceived investors in 2015 about its users’ daily and monthly engagement with the site.
In 2021, HBO released Fake Famous, a documentary film Bilton wrote, directed and produced about social media and influencer culture. Bilton is also credited as a staff writer on HBO's 2023 series The Idol.
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. Bilton will also produce the film.
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. 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. 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.Bilton, Nick. "Read Nick Bilton’s Memo to ‘60 Minutes’ Staff", New York Times (4 Jun 2026).Mullin, Benjamin and Grynbaum, Michael. "New '60 Minutes' Chief Promises Independence in Bid to Reassure Staff", New York Times (4 Jun 2026).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."
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"."Nick Bilton", WGBH-TV (accessed 3 June 2026)."Telling Stories with Data, Sensors & Humans", Tisch ITP (accessed 3 June 2026).
Books
Bilton is the author of three books:
Hatching Twitter. A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship and Betrayal. Penguin Portfolio, New York, 2010. . 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. . American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road. Penguin, New York, 2017. .
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. The book was optioned by Lionsgate in 2013, yet as of 2026 no series has been produced.
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. In June 2017, The Hollywood Reporter reported that the Coen brothers and Steven Zaillian were adapting the book into a movie.
Filmography Year Title director Writer Producer 2019 The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley Alex Gibney 2021 Fake Famous Nick Bilton 2024Biggest Heist Ever - TBA Untitled Hawaii-Set Crime Drama Martin Scorsese
Personal life 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.Bilton, Nick and Isaac, Mike. Goodbye, for Now, San Francisco”, The New York Times (28 Jun 2014). Chrysta Bilton is the author of a book titled Normal Family: On Truth, Love, and How I Met My 35 Siblings.
Bilton is a member of NYC Resistor, a hackerspace in Brooklyn, New York.
See also New Yorkers in journalism
References
External links