I’ll be the first to admit, I had no history with AnandTech before I joined. It was by sheer chance, meeting one of the writers at an overclocking event, that led me to first become a reader, then a writer, to what has become my career in journalism. If you’re new to AnandTech then welcome! It’s been my home for over a decade, where we’ve always had the goal of pushing the boundaries for all things technical and engineering-related.  For all the old hands - I know many of you work at the companies we report on around the industry, and we’ve been forever glad for your continued support and interactions. Long may it continue, especially in an industry that is slowly consolidating around a few key players, both in technical and publishing – for as long as the audience demands it, AnandTech will aim to provide.

Personally, I was always into computers, but it was overclocking that got me into hardware. Not just getting more frames in my games, but actual competitive overclocking, trying to get the best scores in the world. People liken it to the Formula 1 or car tuning, when in reality it feels like drag racing – 8 hours of preparation for a 10 seconds quarter mile. Studying chemistry at the time, on the surface there seemed to be not much more than a little overlap, except for a desire to learn more about what I was doing, the why, and how it all worked. That oblivious-yet-determined manner led to Rajinder Gill, senior motherboard editor at the time, suggesting that Anand bring me on as a freelancer back in 2010. Initially with news, I transitioned into Rajinder’s role rather quickly after he left, and starting from the Sandy Bridge launch in early 2011, I spent the next five years reviewing motherboards at AnandTech as my day job after graduating my PhD. I still look back on my first proper motherboard review, the ASRock P67 Extreme4, with rose-tinted spectacles. It was a great board for the time, and I still have it in my collection.

That’s what got me to AnandTech, and after 11 years I feel the need to change, so I have decided to take up a new position in the industry. When Anand left in 2014, after 18 years at the helm, I was still quite green in my role and didn’t really take his words to heart at the time. Looking back at them today, I see a lot of parallels, even though I’ve never sat in that senior role. Since Anand left, I was promoted to Senior CPU Editor, and Ryan Smith has taken the Editor-in-Chief role with grace and poise – he’s consistently talked me down from a ledge when this industry has piled on, and all I’ve wanted to do is lash out! After Anand left, it was Ryan who brought me on as a full-time employee, and helped navigate AnandTech through two acquisitions, to where the brand currently sits today with Future. Despite being (roughly) the same age, Ryan has been a mentor and a director for a lot of the content I’ve written, for which I’m very thankful. I hope he knows how much it has meant over the years.

I’ve really enjoyed working at AnandTech. I love getting my teeth into the latest technical details, and getting advance briefings from the researchers never ceases to be a great pleasure of mine. It doesn’t matter whether that’s for an upcoming product, attending technical IEEE conferences, or for Hot Chips talk, or seeing inside the secret R&D room at Computex. In a lot of ways, my academic experience has overlapped with my coverage that I would never have predicted - we're on the cusp of finding out how we need More Than Moore's Law in the modern era. My travel in 2019 topped 200,000 miles, which doesn’t really bother me in the slightest, as I’ve been able to meet and discuss with key industry movers and shakers. A crowning moment was talking AMD into making its 64-core Threadripper into a better price the evening before the announcement. Or biting one of Intel’s 10nm wafers. Being able to travel around and visit companies has shown me just how many amazing people and stories there are in our industry, and it’s a shame there aren’t enough hours in the day to focus on them all, as I know a lot of you would want to hear about them. I hope I've also been able to bring a little bit of humor and fun to my content too.

If there’s one thing that has remained through all that time, it’s the dedication of AnandTech’s writers to provide as many detailed technical write-ups as we can. Over the years I’ve worked with some incredible talent, especially Andrei, and I’ve managed individuals that I’ve seen improve leaps and bounds, especially Gavin who now leads our motherboard coverage. Big shoutouts go to the rest of the team over the years: Ryan, Brett, Ganesh, Billy, Kristian, Tracy, Anton, Joe, Matt, Matt, Josh, Nate, Rajinder, Gary, Virginia, and Howard. You’ve all meant a lot to me in so many different ways. Then there’s also the audience, who have always provided copious feedback, either here, on social media, or through our email conversations. Please don’t stop giving all of us constructive criticism on how to do our jobs better, regardless of where we are or who we work for.

As for me, I’m finding new ventures: a mixture of behind-the-scenes and public-facing opportunities, as well as continued consulting, but still within this tech industry that we love to analyze. We're on the cusp of finding out how we need More Than Moore's Law in the modern era. I’ll still be that loud voice on Twitter, criticizing every financial disclosure and presentation, and if you’re interested in what I’m doing next, then I’m likely to announce my future roles over there or on LinkedIn in short course. While today is my final day at AnandTech, don't be surprised if my name pops up again here over the next week or two, as I’ve prepared some content in advance, including our AMD Rembrandt review and an interview with Raja Koduri. Stay tuned for those.

To all of the readers over the years, thank you so much for this opportunity. I couldn’t have done it without you. I hope that you’ll continue to give all the AnandTech writers the support you have shown me.

~Ian

 

 

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  • Meteor2 - Monday, February 21, 2022 - link

    That is some endorsement!
  • Exotica - Friday, February 18, 2022 - link

    I’ve been a reader of Anandtech since around 2004 time frame and have always enjoyed the quality of content that you all produce. Sad to see you go but you have to do what’s best for you. I wish you well in your future endeavors. Best of luck to you! Hopefully you continue posting content on your YouTube channel, and possibly even start a website of your own so we can continue to learn from you. Good luck!
  • maco - Friday, February 18, 2022 - link

    Read many of your articles over the years, will miss you :(
  • GeoffreyA - Friday, February 18, 2022 - link

    What a sad, sad day. Honestly, I felt close to tears on seeing this. It seems unreal, and Anandtech will never be the same. Thank you, Ian; thank you for all the work, the dedication, and inimitable material through the years. You've taken us through the industry, as if on a journey. It's sad that life has to be like this, with partings. I thank you for everything, and wish you all the best in your endeavours and in life. May your pen always overflow with words, and may your clock speed never falter! Live long and prosper.
  • back2future - Friday, February 18, 2022 - link

    Thanks for the inspiring.
    Best for beyond scale :)
  • Arutius - Friday, February 18, 2022 - link

    Ian Cutress,

    Your absence will be sorely felt, sir. I have learned so much simply by reading your content. You have been more than a source of information; you have provided me with a great deal of education and insight I would have never otherwise been exposed to. Thank you so much for your time and skills.
  • MakaanPL - Friday, February 18, 2022 - link

    Thank you Ian! Your articles on AT were unmatched, with incredible level of technical expertise. I'll miss these a lot. All the best!

    Also I was a bit worried there's no news in mobile space, and just checked on LinkedIn that Andrei also left, in the end of November. That's a huge loss for AT as well. While phone reviews were usually a few weeks late, only you in AT checked these devices so thoroughly.
  • Slash3 - Friday, February 18, 2022 - link

    I've been reading AnandTech regularly since it was hosted as a GeoCities page, and this truly does mark the end of a phenomenal chapter.

    You brought a level of insight, curiosity and insatiable thirst for technical detail that obviously resonated greatly with many people over the years. When Anand left, it was an open question as to whether or not AnandTech would survive as an entity, but your content and contributions (along with some other strong contributors, including Ryan) quickly put those fears to rest. I do hope that the site continues on in your absence, but would not be surprised if it took on a different form. The terrain for technology journalism has changed, and we've all had to adapt. This may be a perfect opportunity for everyone involved to make that change.

    I look forward to seeing what roles you decide to play going forward, whether technical, editorial or otherwise, and wish you all the best.
  • watersb - Friday, February 18, 2022 - link

    Godspeed, Dr. Ian!
  • Bik - Friday, February 18, 2022 - link

    The feeling is no different from saying fairwell to a cool friend that you had for years. I’ll miss you and your content dearly.

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