About Bill Holstein

My next book, my 10th, is entitled “Battlefield Cyber: How China and Russia Are Undermining Our Democracy and National Security.” I have co-authored it with Michael McLauglin, who was involved in covert ops for the U.S. Navy before assuming a senior position at the U.S. Cybercommand. He recently left government to join a major law firm, which is why he can be my co-author. We combined our knowledge bases to describe in detail how China and Russia have learned to use the Internet and our IT infrastructures to steal secrets, collect massive amounts of data, create thousands of fake bots on social media, and many more pernicious activities. We spend part two of the book describing the right responses. Prometheus will publish the book in early 2023.

My previous book was entitled, “A Grand Strategy: Countering China, Taming Technology and Restoring The Media” from Brick Tower Press. It reflects my own experiences in China, covering technology and serving as a journalist and observing the media scene for 50 years. It appears as it is becoming increasingly clear that China is challenging the United States for technological and moral leadership globally. On the basis of this experience, I offer suggestions about how to respond to China and how to ensure that technological progress serves our social and political needs while curbing the power of the Big Tech platforms. And lastly I argue that the American mainstream media needs to rededicate itself to the proposition that it must move beyond partisanship and create a national dialogue for how America can move forward.

A previous book, which appeared in 2019, was “The New Art of War: China’s Deep Strategy Inside the United States.” It argued that the Chinese government was orchestrating a complex long-term plan to steal technology primarily through very sophisticated hacking and penetration of U.S. companies by Chinese and Chinese-American agents. Further, I argued that the party-state was, and is, waging a soft war inside the U.S., penetrating U.S. government entities and intimidating Hollywood studios and many universities. Subsequent developments, including what Microsoft said was a hack of its systems sponsored by Chinese state-affiliated entities, have established that the patterns I identifed two years ago have only intensified.

See next tab “Books” for a list of my nine books.

Check out  “A Grand Strategy; Countering China Panning Technology and Restoring the Media.

Career

Independent

Co-author with Michael McLaughlin of “Battlefield Cyber: How China and Russia are Undermining Our Democracy and National Security.” Prometheus, August 2023. It is my 10th book.

Two previous books were “The New Art of War: China’s Deep Strategy Inside the United States” (2019) and “A Grand Strategy: Countering China, Taming Technology and Restoring the Media. 2021. Both from BrickTower Press.

I also have been active as board member for the Overseas Press Club and president of the Overseas Press Club Foundation for 27 years. That foundation grants scholarships and fellowships to college students who wish to become foreign correspondents. We have launched the careers of dozens of successful correspondents.

(April 2007–April 2023). I wrote for Compass magazine on technology and top management subjects. My seventh book, “How The ThinkPad Changed the World–And Is Shaping the Future,” was published by Skyhorse in the spring of 2017.

Editor in Chief of Directorship magazine (May 2006-March 2007)
This magazine was aimed at boards of directors, senior managers who engage with boards, and lawyers, accountants, search firms, consultants and other specialists who work for boards.

Editor in Chief of Chief Executive magazine (January 2003-April 2006)
Completely redesigned this magazine and won Folio’s 2005 Eddie Gold Award for best business-to-business magazine in the category and the Ozzie Gold Award for best cover design.

Independent (July 2001-January 2003)
Contributor to Fortune, The New York Times, Business 2.0, Chief Executive, Corporate Board Member and Politique Internationale. Wrote major articles for Business 2.0 on such subjects as IBM’s research labs, General Motor’s OnStar division, and Corning’s efforts to recover from the fiber optic collapse. Concentrated primarily on Asian subjects for Fortune, with stories on Samsung Electronics and Canon.

Editor at Large, Business 2.0 (February-July 2001)
Had major writing responsibilities and produced stories on Corning, DaimlerChrysler, Ford Motor, IBM, and Porsche.

Senior Writer, U.S. News & World Report (October 1996-February 2001)
Wrote major stories pertaining to business, economics and technology in a global context. Cover stories included “SWEATSHOP CHRISTMAS,” “THE AMAZING ECONOMY,” “THE INTERNET STOCK BUBBLE,” “WIRELESS WONDERS,” “COOL CARS,” and “RUNWAY RAGE.” CEOs interviewed included Chrysler’s Robert Eaton, Corning’s Roger Ackerman, DaimlerChrysler’s Jurgen Schrempp, Ford’s Jacques Nasser, Intel’s Andy Grove, Coca Cola’s Roberto Goizueta, and Kodak’s George Fisher.

World Editor, BusinessWeek (April 1985-October 1996)
Held a series of positions in the International Department, culminating in becoming World Editor, with responsibility for managing major cover stories for both the domestic and international editions. Cover stories included: “JAPAN’S NEW IDENTITY,” “CHINA: The Making of an Economic Giant,” “MIGHTY MITSUBISHI,” “JAPAN: Remaking a Nation” (winner of the Overseas Press Club award for best magazine article on foreign affairs), “MADE IN THE U.S.A.,” “HOT SPOTS,” and “THE STATELESS CORPORATION.”

Director, Corporate Writing, American Express (April 1983-April 1985)
Wrote speeches for top executives, including Chairman James D. Robinson III and President Sandy Weill, as well as annual reports and other publications.

Correspondent and editor, United Press International (September 1973-April 1983)
After three years in Lansing, Michigan, and three years in New York on the Cables Desk, was transferred to Hong Kong as Deputy Asian Editor in 1979. Managed a 24-hour Asian news desk with 14 staffers in Hong Kong and bureaus throughout the region. Also covered major news stories, including the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Was declared persona non grata and placed under house arrest by Soviets in Kabul; deported to India. Other stories included 1979 Tokyo Economic Summit, the Vietnamese boat people exodus, the OPEC meeting in Bali, and the Moslem insurrection in the southern Philippines.

Won the Overseas Press Club award in 1980 for best overseas economic reporting—based on stories about traveling in southern China and about China’s economic modernization drive.

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Education

National Merit Scholar. Graduated with honors from Michigan State University with degree in European intellectual history.

Completed studies at a summer program at Oxford University (Exeter College).

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Awards

Bill has received the following awards:

  • Overseas Press Club of America award for his coverage of China as a correspondent for United Press International
  • Overseas Press Club of America award for editing a Business Week cover story entitled, “Rethinking Japan”
  • Eddie award fromFolio magazine for the issue of Chief Executive magazine depicted below

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Boards & Affiliations

Bill has been very active in organizations that help defend and promote the profession of journalism and its practitioners:

TN_OPCOverseas Press Club (OPCofAmerica.org): Bill was president from 1994 to 1996 and remains active on the board. He was chairman of the annual Awards Dinner for several years, raising significant funding. He has chaired judging panels and served as chair of the nominating committee. Most recently, in May 2019, he organized a day-long event entitled “Tiananmen Square Thirty Years Later: A Portent of China’s More Authoritarian Future?” See www.opcofamerica.org for video footage.

 

TN_OPCFOverseas Press Club Foundation (OverseasPressClubFoundation.org): Bill has been president since 1996. The Foundation, a closely related sister of the OPC, gives 18 scholarships and internships to college students who aspire to become foreign correspondents. It is the largest, most visible national program encouraging students to become correspondents. The annual luncheon is held every February at the Yale Club in Manhattan.

The current endowment exceeds $1.5 million. The OPC Foundation has recently emerged as the fiscal sponsor for A Culture of Safety (ACOS), the coalition the news industry, freelancers and NGOs have established to promote the training and best treatment of freelancers around the world. To support that relationship, Bill also serves on the board of ACOS.

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