Chris Velazco covers the technology that shapes people's lives -- and advises readers on how to grapple with it -- for The Washington Post. Previously, he led coverage of the mobile industry for Engadget and reported on the New York start-up scene for TechCrunch

He has been a senior editor at Engadget, where he led the site’s coverage of the mobile industry for seven years. In addition to helping readers grapple with new technology through reviews and feature reporting, he hosted more than 120 videos and co-hosted the official Best of CES awards in early 2021.

At TechCrunch, he reported on early-stage startups in New York and Philadelphia and helped scout for companies to participate in the publication’s Disrupt Battlefield competition, where startups pitch on stage to get funding (later lampooned in the first season of Silicon Valley).

The son of Filipino immigrants, Chris was born in Louisiana and grew up in suburban New Jersey, where a stint selling gadgets at Best Buy led to an appearance in a national commercial that prepared him for a career explaining technology in front of a camera. He holds a BA in English and a BS in Marketing from Rutgers University-Camden.

Chris is a devoted theater and karaoke buff, and he spent the last year attempting to cope with their absence by learning to tap dance and play the bass.