Gerd Meissner is a veteran journalist. He is based in Mountain View, California, where he founded the news bureau "Editorial Office Silicon Valley" to report worldwide on information technology. Meissner's articles appear in such publications as The New York Times and Der Stern, Europe's premier news weekly. Formerly a senior editor at the latter, he helped develop Der Stern's highly successful online presence. Meissner also writes a monthly column for Connect, Europe's largest telecommunications magazine.