They say the best products are those where founders build something that scratches their own itch.
Three years ago, we concluded that there’s a lack of truly insightful business news about Southeast Asia. This was the foundation for starting The Ken Southeast Asia in 2019.
We set out to build a newsroom to address this gap and deliver Southeast Asian business stories in an interesting, irresistible way.
Why did the founder of Gojek, Indonesia’s largest digital enterprise, change tack to become Education Minister? Is it worth investing in durian farms in Malaysia? What does it take to build a carbon-neutral factory in Vietnam?
Our goal is to consistently surprise and delight our readers with fresh choices of topics and presentations, leaving visitors just a bit smarter each time they leave our site.
That’s still the mission in 2023 and beyond. But we’re taking it further, and we’re hiring ambitious business journalists to join the ride.
If you want to be part of a team that consistently produces deep dives, sharp newsletter pieces, or new audio formats on a range of topics related to Southeast Asia, apply here by sending us a cover letter and your CV.
How we work
The Ken Southeast Asia is a fully remote team with reporters, editors, and contributors spread across the region.
We interact with each other daily over Slack, Zoom, WhatsApp, and email and collaborate closely. Each piece we publish is a team effort.
Occasionally, we get together in person to decide how we’ll take our regional coverage to the next level. That’s especially important when new members join the team.
Our first such in-person meeting after the pandemic was in Bali at the end of November. We flew in from Jakarta, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, and Hong Kong to spend four days together.
We wanted to inhabit the same space so ideas could flow, so our communications weren’t filtered through screens and earphones—and, hopefully, so we could chart out new objectives for 2023.
We also hit the beach, told ghost stories, and got soaked by rain in a sanctuary for Balinese long-tailed macaques.
Visual Stories
More importantly, we had the chance to get to know each other just a little better. Being able to come together this way made us feel closer as a team.
You—our readers and subscribers—at the core of all of our plans.
Expect to see new offerings coming your way soon. We want to make sure that The Ken is one of the most dependable sources of independent and in-depth coverage within Southeast Asia, one that provides informative reportage every weekday.
