Sapna Maheshwari

My name is Sapna Maheshwari (pronounced Sup-na) and I’m a business journalist.

I have been a business reporter at The New York Times for 10 years and currently cover new media and the creator economy, though occasionally dabble elsewhere. I previously reported on TikTok and social media, the wide world of retail and the advertising industry. I joined the Times from BuzzFeed News and Bloomberg News.

Here are some of my more recent stories, and some less recent, focused on creators, emerging media and shifting consumer habits.

• In Her New Podcast, Ina Garten Is Hoping to Get Messy

• At Glamour, a Once-Mighty Magazine, a Skeleton Crew Churns Out Shopping Links

• Ms. Rachel’s Improbable Journey From Toddler Whisperer to Holiday Toy Story

• The Women’s Magazines of 2023 Are in a Facebook Group and Your Inbox

• Instagram’s Uneasy Rise as a News Site

• Cameo to the Moon, and Back

• They’re on the Varsity Influencer Team

• The ‘Betches’ Got Rich. So What’s Next?

My coverage of TikTok focused on the cultural impact of the popular short-form video app and its challenges with the U.S. government, based on its ownership by ByteDance, the Chinese technology company. I reported on the inner-workings of the company and its business. Some of my stories below:

• The TikTok Flip-Flop (The Daily, Jan. 20, 2025)

• Love, Hate or Fear It, ​​TikTok Has Changed America

• For Gen Z, Playing an Influencer on TikTok Comes Naturally

• He Sold His Likeness. Now His Avatar Is Shilling Supplements on TikTok.

• Jewish Celebrities and Influencers Confront TikTok Executives in Private Call

• ‘Thunder Run’: Behind Lawmakers’ Secretive Push to Pass the TikTok Bill

• Taxes, Drugs and … TikTok?

• Driver’s Licenses, Addresses, Photos: Inside How TikTok Shares User Data

My retail stories included investigations into major retailers, coverage of the labor force, trends in how Americans shop and so much more. Here are some of my favorite stories I wrote and co-wrote on this beat:

• One Family Built Forever 21, and Fueled Its Collapse

• ‘Angels’ in Hell: The Culture of Misogyny Inside Victoria’s Secret

• How Jeffrey Epstein Used the Billionaire Behind Victoria’s Secret for Wealth and Women

• Victoria’s Secret Had Troubles, Even Before Jeffrey Epstein

• Barneys Workers Feel Used as They March Store Toward Death

• When Is a Star Not Always a Star? When It’s an Online Review

• They See It. They Like It. They Want It. They Rent It.

• Contact Lens Start-Up, Big on Social Media, May Be Bad for Eyes, Doctors Say

• How Outdoor Voices, a Start-Up Darling, Imploded

I joined the Times in 2016 and reported on the advertising industry until the beginning of 2019. Here are some of my stories on that beat:

• How Smart TVs in Millions of U.S. Homes Track More Than What’s On Tonight

• On YouTube Kids, Startling Videos Slip Past Filters

• Are You Ready for the Nanoinfluencers?

• How Fake News Goes Viral: A Case Study

• How Bots Are Inflating Instagram Egos

• Hey, Alexa, What Can You Hear? And What Will You Do With It?

• Chase Had Ads on 400,000 Sites. Then on Just 5,000. Same Results.

• Publishers Are Rethinking Those ‘Around the Web’ Ads

• This Thermometer Tells Your Temperature, Then Tells Firms Where to Advertise

• A Penthouse Made For Instagram