Vauhini Vara is a journalist, novelist, short story writer, and playwright. She began her journalism career as a technology reporter at the Wall Street Journal and later launched, edited and wrote for the business section of the New Yorker’s website. 

Her latest book, Searches, is a work of journalism and memoir about how big technology companies are changing our understanding of our selves and our communities. Her debut novel, The Immortal King Rao, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle’s John Leonard Prize, and the Center for Fiction’s First Novel Prize. 

On April 15, 2025, Vauhini Vara came to the studios of KQED in San Francisco to talk about "Searches" and her writing journey with New York Times deputy business editor Pui-Wing Tam.