The article analyzes how ten technology-focused magazines, understood as digital media pioneers (Hepp 2016) and a relevant social group (Bijker 2015), position themselves vis-à-vis technological development and “sustainable” innovation. A mixed-methods approach was deployed to answer the research questions, combining text mining tools and qualitative analysis of media narratives (SKAD). The article argues that the fundamental dichotomy organizing the narratives is that of techno-optimism versus techno-skepticism, built around the potential of emerging technologies (e.g. AI), and the power balance between key stakeholders. The analyzed magazines act as intermediaries between various stakeholder groups, and as actors with their own ethical and political agendas. As a result, the narratives play a vital role of the processes of stabilization of technology (Bijker 2015). The findings contribute to the discussion on the role of media narratives in the processes of deep mediatization, and their function in interpreting technology and technological development.