I still remember my early days as a reviewer, sending an email to Anandtech for a freelance job and receiving a reply from Anand himself. I was so excited. Back then, Anandtech was the top IT review site. It started operating in 1997 and was well known for its in-depth reviews. The current owner of Anandtech, Future PLC, which also has Tom’s Hardware, decided it was time to shut it down for its reasons. In its “Farewell” announcement, Anandtech’s Editor in Chief, Ryan Smith, mentioned that some people working for Anandtech will continue on Tom’s Hardware. Still, since I also worked on the latter site for several years, I know firsthand that the budget for in-depth reviews is limited. This was also why I quit Tom’s Hardware and started my media.
Unfortunately, as Ryan mentioned in his post, written tech journalism is not as popular as it used to be, actually far from it. YouTube, TikTok, and other media platforms have gained vast popularity over the last few years. Let’s face it and speak the bare truth. People, especially the new generations, got lazy and don’t want to read stuff. They want to see it on video. It is more convenient for them, and since video can also provide entertainment, it is more digestible. Deep analytic articles are only for the few ones, and even those might not fully understand it.
I cannot hide it. I am very sad to see one of the oldest sites, Anandtech, shutting down, but in this fast-paced world, if you don’t adapt, you die. We all have to adapt, one way or another. I also strongly believe there is still room for well-written tech journalism, especially since some product categories look better in written form rather than a video (e.g., PSU reviews).
Farewell, Anandtech, and a big thanks for your work!
