The Recursive, the community-born media platform dedicated to Central and Eastern Europe’s emerging tech ecosystems, is taking a bold step forward with the appointment of Ana Marija Kostanic as its new Editor-in-Chief. A seasoned tech journalist with a passion for innovation, Zagreb-based Kostanic would now aim to elevate The Recursive’s mission of connecting and empowering the diverse communities across the region. In the following candid conversation, she shares her journey, her vision for the future of journalism, and her call to action for the community to actively shape their shared narrative, where today’s stories can inspire tomorrow’s innovators.
What’s your story and how did it lead you to join The Recursive as Editor-in-Chief?
Even during my student years, I knew my path had to involve tech in some way. I’ve always been a proud geek and technology played a big part in my life and interests. Even though I started my career in mainstream media, I still found ways to involve myself in reporting about innovations and digital business. Eventually, that led me to Croatia’s leading tech media – Netokracija.
I started there as a journalist and soon after became Netokracija’s Executive Editor. In those 7 years, I’ve helped it grow inside and out. I couldn’t help but feel this sort of connection with The Recursive’s coming-of-age story, as I know the nuances of starting and growing a (niche) media business. I’ve been watching it closely as a professional and a reader, so when the opportunity showed – I intuitively knew it was the right path forward to share my experiences and knowledge.
Moving forward, how do you see the role of The Recursive in growing CEE’s tech ecosystems?
I think the basic ethos is: that we are writing with, about, and for the community. Our service is to the readers: founders, investors, policymakers, various experts driving innovation, and enthusiasts building the CEE ecosystem…
Tapping into their worlds, with a keen journalistic eye, we can get to the stories that would otherwise be left untold, unheard, forgotten. Especially when it comes to the CEE region, which is usually underrepresented in bigger tech media.
I’ve covered quite a few stories about the ups and downs of founders who were struggling to find a perfect market fit or scaling up; about investment, development, marketing, sales, and HR challenges they’ve faced. I’m glad that more and more founders, investors, and other experts see that sharing their experiences is commendable and valuable.
I want to bring them stories that can help them all grow.
And I am confident we can do so with quality reporting and a resilient team that already established good relationships in the communities.
What are your immediate priorities in your new role?
The Recursive newsroom was without Editor-in-Chief for a few months so the first steps will require exploring and testing where the guidance is most needed.
The Recursive’s editors are already well-rounded experts in their own right and I am eager to learn more about stories they’ve covered and how they approached the diverse CEE community.
Together, focused on those communities, their wins and losses, I believe we can set up a good editorial strategy that works for us, and the readers.
What makes you optimistic about the future of journalism? How is this profession evolving in the era of AI and what do you think are the fundamental journalistic skills that will never be automated?
I’ve shared recently on LinkedIn a quote from Carl Sagan, a great science educator, who said: ‘Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions… ― proof that humans can work magic.’ That kind of magic doesn’t happen just because some AI model managed to squeeze knowledge from thousands in its reply. It happens because of human intuition, empathy, and creativity. I think all the greatest reporting stories stem from those.
So when we talk about journalistic skills that won’t be automated, we talk about some of the most important human traits: curiosity, critical thinking, improvisation, ethical awareness, and integrity.
The Recursive established itself as a community-born media, and you’re coming from Netokracija – another outlet that’s very close to the community. How do you plan to keep and develop this relationship with tech communities in CEE and beyond?
First, I hope this interview reaches them, as I believe in what I’ve said earlier. Every community member in the CEE can only benefit from sharing more about their experiences. That is the only way the ecosystem as a whole can grow.
I hope to get to know more about the CEE communities in person, so I am looking forward to various regional events. Meanwhile, I will be in continuous research mode, mapping the CEE with great assistance from The Recursive team.
Still, my base is in Croatia, and the majority of the editorial team is in Bulgaria and Romania – so we also are counting on you, dear readers. Please reach out!
This is a message to all interested in sharing their experiences, expert knowledge, useful information, content collaboration or op-ed proposals from the CEE region! Write to me, [email protected]. Sometimes even a simple email or a video call would do. 🙂
If we talk again in 5 years, what story do you hope to be able to tell about the ecosystem in CEE?
Usually, these “5 years” questions get me overthinking, but this one in particular is pretty easy. You know how, when you ask a kid: what you want to be when you grow up – they go for something bold and big, both crazy and inspiring? For me, this leads to the same kind of answer. I want to tell how the CEE ecosystem came to flourish into the best version of itself, and how the world came to know its tenacity and expertise!
