Kylie Robison is The Verge’s senior reporter covering artificial intelligence. Previously, she worked at Fortune, where she covered Twitter; before that, she covered software developer culture (“a beat,” she says, “I made up and loved”) for Business Insider. “I’ve always been obsessed with technology in an extremely online way,” she adds, “and The Verge is filled with people who are on the same wavelength.”
We asked Kylie to tell us a bit about her home office setup.
It looks like your office space is right outside the kitchen.
It is! I live in a studio, but when I tell people that, they say it’s a bit too big to be called that, so my friends and I joke that it’s a studio deluxe. My living room is also my bedroom, I have a dining nook that I use for my office, and my kitchen is right behind me.
Could you tell us a bit about the desk itself?
It’s a Mittzon desk from Ikea. I wanted something adjustable in a light oak color, and it has great cable management stuff in the back.
It’s a beat-to-death standard Amazon desk chair. I should probably upgrade soon…
Tell us about the various tech devices you’re using.
I just bought a new MacBook Pro M4 that I adore. I have a Dell Ultra HD 4K Monitor (that’s no longer available) and an Asus ProArt monitor. I have no idea how long I’ve had either or where I even got them from. I have a pair of first-gen Apple AirPod Max headphones. I have two pairs of Ray-Ban Metas. (One is a limited-edition pair.) Last but not least, a Vergecast-mandated Audio-Technica microphone (they told me my Blue Yeti sucked).
You’ve got an enormous amount of interesting stuff there. For example, the leafy pad you have under your keyboard is lovely.
Thank you! I thought the aesthetic was nice, I actually have another in a different color depending on my mood. It’s a nice addition to add some color.
Who is the smiling pink purse?
That’s Kirby! A Nintendo character that holds all my Micron pens.
Tell us about that glass achievement award just under the monitor.
I got that in college. I was raised by my mom, who didn’t go to college, which qualified me as a first-generation student. I got an achievement award thanks to my work for my student publication, The State Hornet, where I wrote about technology in covid times. I think it helped that I had an okay GPA, too.
Are those family photos on the wall?
Yes! The old-school portrait is my grandma, aka the love of my life. There’s also my mom’s high-school portrait, where she wears a T-shirt that says “girls kick ass!” — probably my favorite photo up there. There’s my grandpa holding me as a baby, photos of my friends, my preschool class, my Burning Man ID, and a wood-burned Dril tweet.
I saw it online, and it was the best impulse purchase of my life. So cool.
I had to look up those Sonny Angel figures. Is there a story behind them?
Sometimes you need some little friends to get you through your days. I just think they’re cute! They’re also really popular with young women — I live by Japantown in San Francisco, so they’re easy for me to buy.
I’m fascinated by all the interesting stuff you have on the shelves. Not to mention the neon face….
That face is Majora’s Mask from The Legend of Zelda! There’s a lot of Zelda stuff throughout my house, Breath of the Wild might be my favorite video game ever. My shelves also have a 3D-printed Moo Deng, the biting baby hippo; a few signed books from the industry; a Lego Nezuko from Demon Slayer; my college degree; a pothos plant; an AI toy (that has yet to be mass released); the dried flowers from a friend’s celebration of life; an ice cream scoop that’s engraved “Slack scoop” to commemorate all my scoopin’— there’s a lot to love up there.
And last but not least, please introduce us to your cat!
That’s Fang! My grandpa likes to call him Fangster. Fun fact: I named him Fang on a whim, and four years after I got him, the vet said he was having teeth problems that would require the removal of quite a few. In the end, the only teeth he got to keep were his fangs. Weird, huh?
Anything else we didn’t cover that you’d like to add?
Whoever sees this — don’t yell at me about my cord setup. I gave up so quickly. Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers.
Photography by Kylie Robison / The Verge