I lead VentureBeat’s coverage on social media news, but also cover news and industry trends in e-commerce and mobile.

Previously, I was a senior reporter at Mashable. I also have experience in broadcast television and introduced social media reporting to the NBC San Diego newsroom.

I hold a Bachelor of Arts in English from UCLA.

You can find me pretty much anywhere on the web under the handle “jbruin.” I often tweet, instagram, facebook, and path on tech and the world at large. Sometimes I get a little NSFW on these channels, so consider yourself warned.

I also abide by VentureBeat’s Ethics Statement. I don’t hold stock in any company that I cover and I don’t accept gifts of any kind for coverage (though I do possess some startup swag collected from parties and such over the years). On occasion, companies send me samples and test products, but I disclose these details in stories whenever applicable. I do have a Bruin-bred bias against USC, a fact that causes more conflict in my personal life than it does in my reporting.

stories by Jennifer Van Grove

No cabs for you! Uber shutters NYC taxi service following quarrel with city officials

Following a tussle with the TLC, mobile car service startup Uber officially discontinued taxi service in New York.

Obama and Romney dish on policies for startup growth

A simple letter sent by the New York Tech Meetup to President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney got the candidates to discuss their policies around startups and the technology community at large.

This funky little cube prints your texts and photos for granny

It may not be the greenest way to communicate with your elders, but a new device called messageQube could go long way in breaking down technological and communication barriers between youngsters and seniors, as well as doctors and ailing patients.

FTC investigators recommend suing Google for antitrust violations

The Federal Trade Commission is leaning toward suing Google for antitrust violations in search, according to multiple reports.

Facebook has no plans to release Instagram for BlackBerry 10 (exclusive)

Scratch Instagram from the list of brand name applications making their way over to RIM's BlackBerry 10 platform.

Survey finds Facebook Gifts has great potential, Promoted Posts is a big dud

Facebook recently introduced two consumer-facing products designed to help it bring in more dough. One looks to be a money-making bonanza while the other seems to have flop written all over it.

Facebook down in parts of Europe, Anonymous member claims responsibility (updated)

Thursday, Facebook experienced technical difficulties in parts of Europe. Proclaimed Anonymous security leader Anonymous Own3r claimed responsibility for the downtime, but the social network denied an attack took place.

Tumblr launches Photoset iOS app for creating image collections and nothing more

To post a quote, video, link, chat, text, photo, or audio? That's not the question on Photoset, an all-new single purpose iOS application from mini blog company Tumblr.

Hustle and flow: Why RIM believes BlackBerry 10 can beat the competition

BlackBerry 10 is late. Late for its originally scheduled release date, and even later to a mobile revolution that some say has already been won by Google and Apple. But the word "late" doesn't seem to be in RIM's lexicon.

TweetDeck gets a bright, white makeover, but misplaces users’ mentions

TweetDeck updated today with a lighter, brighter color scheme, a number of incremental improvements to help power users make the most of their columns, and one noticeable flaw that prevents people from viewing all of their mentions in the order they received them.

RIM gives out 6K BlackBerry 10 dev prototypes to seed App World

BlackBerry 10, the hyped mobile operating system that could resurrect the Research in Motion brand, is still months away from reaching consumers. Thousands of developers, however, were given early access to the platform to build BlackBerry 10-ready applications.

Verizon’s huge 4G network just smacked AT&T in the face

Next week, Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE service will take the unprecedented step of landing in its 400th market, showing the company's dominance in next-generation wireless service.

Symantec CTO outlines BYOD vision for safe companies and happy employees

Solving the gigantic problem brought on by the bring-your-own-device (BYOD) movement is by no means no simple.

How Millennials drove Zipcar into a more mobile business

In business for over a decade, car sharing network Zipcar has embraced mobile, driven forward by a generation of people 35 and under who prefer 4G to V8.

Remaking MySpace: How Tim and Chris Vanderhook are turning around the web’s biggest joke

MySpace might be a joke to many. But it is no laughing matter for Tim and Chris Vanderhook, brothers not grim about the social network's chances at a full-fledged comeback.

Bing throws journalists a bone with promotion in search sidebar

Despite what you may think, we journalists actually know a thing or two about the topics we cover. Bing really gets that, as the number two search engine now features our names as experts alongside your search results.

Brands can dive into Tumblr data with new tool from Union Metrics

Avant garde brands using Tumblr can turn to Union Metrics to dive into the activity data of the startup's eclectic audience.

Starbucks integration adds mobile pay to Apple’s Passbook

The coffee conglomerate officially launched Passbook integration Thursday. The update allows Starbucks mobile users on iPhone and iPod to store their digital cards in Passbook for quick and easy mobile payments.

Want to piss off your contacts? Add an Obama or Romney bumper sticker to your emails

Mixing politics and email sounds even worse than discussing religion on a first date. But for bold souls who want the world to know where they stand, the email signature experts at WiseStamp have just the thing.