Meet the New Boss

by Ryan Smith on August 30, 2014 7:01 PM EST

Meet the New Boss. Same as the Old Boss.

If you had told me 15 years ago that I would one day be the Editor in Chief for AnandTech, there’s a very good chance I would have called you crazy. Having read AnandTech since 1998, it seemed obvious to me at the time that I could never know enough to match wits with Anand. Even in the early days of the site Anand brought a high degree of skill and thoughtfulness that few people could ever match, a quality that kept me reading the site for so many years.

Consequently, to be here writing my first comments as Editor in Chief borders on the surreal. Having read AnandTech for 15 years and having worked for Anand for almost 10 of those years, it was until recently hard to imagine reading AnandTech and not seeing articles by Anand, or to be writing for AnandTech but not be writing for Anand himself. Anand has been a constant in the tech world both as a source of news an analysis for us all, and as a mentor to me. These days I can happily say I was wrong about not being able to match wits with The Boss, and now I am going to get to put that to the test.

AnandTech has been Anand’s baby since Anand practically was a baby, having built it up from the ground in the last 17 years and spanning countless generations of technology not to mention the economic booms and busts that come with it. Words cannot express how humbling it is to be asked to be the next Editor in Chief – to be the first person that Anand trusts and believes in to run AnandTech and keep his baby going. It’s an awesome privilege and an awesome responsibility, and it is a task that I aim to do as well as The Boss himself.

When it comes to taking on the duties as Editor in Chief, I suppose it’s the fact that Anand and I are cut from the same cloth that even makes this transition possible. While I wasn’t born to teachers, writing for AnandTech has been a job I have loved for nearly a decade because I love learning just as Anand does. And though it’s a gross simplification of the job, being a journalist for AnandTech ultimately means learning about technology and sharing what we have learned with the rest of the world, which is the ideal job for anyone who loves learning. What this means is that although we’re not interchangeable – I am probably a bit more excitable than Anand – it means that the same force that drives us both, and it’s that same love of learning that will continue to shape AnandTech.

To our readers, we wouldn’t exist without you, and it is my first and foremost goal to continue driving AnandTech to bring the kind of high quality content that you come here for. That content comes from passion, skill, and taking the time and care to do things right, and these are core values that will not be changing. At the same time the editors working for us are among the best, and I know that they will continue writing fantastic articles across the broad range of technologies we cover. AnandTech may no longer have Anand, but it will have the same quality content that it has always had.

To our editors, what little is there to say about you that Anand has not? An Editor in Chief is only as good as the people working under him, and it is the fact that I have you that makes me confident that I can take on this role and fill Anand’s big shoes. You deserve nothing less than the best leadership, and to you I vow to do as well for you as Anand has done over the last 17 years.

And to Anand, it has been an honor working for you for the last decade. To say that I have learned everything I know from you is only the slightest exaggeration – so much of what I know about both technology and journalism comes from what I have learned from you over the years. To be the new Editor in Chief is incredibly humbling, and I intend to prove that AnandTech is still in good hands.

For 17.5 years now the path of AnandTech and the path of Anand have been one and the same. And though that is no longer the case as Anand retires, it is my sincere goal that the next 17.5 years will continue down the same path that Anand has set. And that is to create and curate the kind of high quality content that enlightens and informs all those who wish to learn about technology.

Thanks,
Ryan Smith
@RyanSmithAT

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  • gamoniac - Monday, September 1, 2014 - link

    Congratulations, Ryan. I have enjoyed your articles in the last few years, and hope to see more of them even as you take on the huge responsibility of editor-in-chief. I have no doubt AT is in good hands in coming years.
  • marc1000 - Monday, September 1, 2014 - link

    Ryan, welcome to your new chair and... GLHF!

    I've been here for over 10 years as a reader, and will continue to do so. keep up the good work!
  • Grit - Monday, September 1, 2014 - link

    I'm hoping it will switch from iAnandTech back to AnandTech.
  • Quidam67 - Tuesday, September 2, 2014 - link

    Knowing the work you have done in the GPU space, and also knowing that you have almost certainly continued to grow over the 10 years you have been working at AT, I have a lot of confidence you will do a great job. Good luck and congratulations.
  • Prodromaki - Tuesday, September 2, 2014 - link

    >Coup27

    Ok, the whole Brian thing makes sense now. They were almost inseparable and then he just disappeared of the site for months. Wasn't aware of that, thanks m8.
  • celestialgrave - Tuesday, September 2, 2014 - link

    While Anand is beloved and will be missed I believe Ryan and the other editors will continue to make
    Anandtech the go to place for tech articles.
  • andrewaggb - Tuesday, September 2, 2014 - link

    Congrats. I've enjoyed the content for many years and look forward to more in the years to come.
  • SuperSpy00bob - Tuesday, September 2, 2014 - link

    Does this mean you're moving the site to ryantech.com?
  • cyberbass - Tuesday, September 2, 2014 - link

    Good luck Ryan! Thank you Anand!
  • jabber - Wednesday, September 3, 2014 - link

    Ryan,

    Your first challenge. Please ask all the major laptop manufacturers this question -

    "Why is it consumers can buy a 7" $200 tablet with a 4K IPS 100% AdobeRGB screen but 95% of laptops still come with a crappy 1366x768 TN panel?"

    Okay I over egged the tablet bit but by next year I can see that being the case.

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