He was earlier the vice chairman of the India Today Group. Until June 2014, he served 19 years as editor-in-chief of the Indian Express. Gupta writes a weekly column called "National Interest" for India Today magazine. His "National Interest" columns for the Indian Express were collected in his 2014 book Anticipating India. He also hosts an interview-based television show Walk the Talk on NDTV 24x7 He was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Indian government in 2009 for his contribution to journalism.