Benji Jones

Benji was a senior reporter at Business Insider covering the energy industry. He reported on large oil companies like Exxon and BP, as well as businesses that sell renewable-energy technologies, such as Sunrun and Tesla.

Select stories: 

Internal documents, leaked audio, and 20 insiders reveal Exxon made managers dub more employees poor performers as the oil giant sought to quietly cut staff

A decade ago, Big Oil bet on algae as the fuel of the future. Now Exxon is the only major firm still backing the biofuel, which several top algae scientists say is destined to flop.

'Predatory and harmful': Misleading solar ads touting 100% free panels and fake stimulus programs spread on Facebook as the coronavirus upends door-to-door sales

Inside the fight between my small Iowa hometown and a $12 billion utility over smart meters and the radiation that some residents call 'poison'

Prior to reporting on energy, Benji covered science for Business Insider's video team. He produced video explainers on a wide range of topics, from the cost of transgender healthcare to the spread of infectious ticks. 

Benji was a freelance science reporter before joining Business Insider. He wrote about the companies that "sell" stars in the night sky, which many customers can't find; the scientists accused of stealing species' names; and reality star Spencer Pratt's hummingbird empire. He also spent six months as a reporting fellow at Audubon Magazine. 

Benji spent five years as a researcher before jumping over to journalism. He holds an MS in ecology and environmental biology from Stanford University.