Glenn Greenwald
A tenacious journalist and constitutional lawyer who leveraged digital platforms to challenge state secrecy and redefine national security reporting.
Born 1967 (age 59)·American journalist·Birthday: March 6·Generation X
Biography
Glenn Greenwald built a unique career path, moving from a successful practice in constitutional law to becoming one of the most consequential and contentious journalists of the 21st century. He cut his teeth as a blogger, writing with a lawyer's precision and an activist's fervor about civil liberties in the post-9/11 era. His work gained global prominence in 2013 when he began publishing the documents provided by NSA contractor Edward Snowden, detailing vast global surveillance programs. These reports, first in The Guardian and later at his own outlet The Intercept, which he co-founded, ignited worldwide debates on privacy and government overreach. His adversarial style and unwavering stance have made him a polarizing figure, celebrated as a defender of press freedom and criticized by establishment figures, cementing his role as a formidable force in adversarial journalism.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Glenn was born in 1967, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Glenn Was Born
The biggest hits of 1967
#1 Movie
The Jungle Book
Best Picture
In the Heat of the Night
#1 TV Show
The Andy Griffith Show
Glenn's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1967Born
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1972Started school
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1980Became a teenager
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Could drive
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1985Could vote
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1988Turned 21
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1997Turned 30
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 40
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 50
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 59 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Led the publication of the Edward Snowden disclosures in 2013, winning a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for The Guardian's coverage.
- Co-founded the digital media outlet The Intercept in 2014, focused on investigative journalism.
- Authored multiple bestselling books on politics, security, and civil liberties, including 'No Place to Hide'.
- His reporting on the Snowden files was instrumental in prompting legal challenges and reforms to US surveillance law.
Did You Know?
He is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt and has trained in the sport for years.
Greenwald lived in Brazil for over a decade and is married to a Brazilian congressman, David Miranda.
Before journalism, he founded and ran a successful law firm specializing in First Amendment and civil rights cases.
He was one of the first prominent journalists to build a major platform primarily through blogging.
“The way things are supposed to work is that we're supposed to know virtually everything about what they do: that's why they're called public servants. They're supposed to know virtually nothing about what we do: that's why we're called private individuals.”
