End of an Era
It seems that Intel as of late have been snapping up everybody. We’ve seen the likes of Raja Koduri and Chris Hook both leave AMD for pastures bluer? Along with Ryan Shrout from PC Perspective and next in their sights was editor-in-chief of [H]ardOCP; Kyle Bennett who has given indication that he will be joining the blue team effective of April 1st as Director of Enthusiast Engagement.
https://twitter.com/KyleBennett/status/1108020954096193536Now while this news was posted today, Tuesday 19th March 2019, the work commencement date does ring some alarm bells. It’s quite the comedy from within the review community of pulling “fake news” for an April Fools prank, so how true this is, we do have to question.
Although, unfortunately, this one looks to be the real deal. Especially since there was a job posting available at Intel for the job (recovered via Google cache).
I am incredibly excited to be working with Kyle going forward and I know he is going to do great things @Intel with the enthusiast community. He's a great person, a great voice, and a no-nonsense personality that will push things in the direction we need to go. https://t.co/K798V4RpuF
— Ryan Shrout (@ryanshrout) March 19, 2019
What Will Happen to [H]ardOCP Now?
Due to conflict of interest, respectable members of the media who transition into the “other side” have to give up their stake on the platform that they built. That means ceding control like what Scott Wasson had done when he moved to AMD from TechReport.
In the case of [H]ardOCP, it is slightly different. While he is still leaving the website, it will be “mothballed” instead and not be handed over anyone else. Meaning the site will cease to post any news, reviews or article updates. Although the good news is that the HardForum will spin-off into a separate entity and continue. This forum will be entirely run and funded by members of the community through Patreon, so as to keep entirely discrete from the site.
It has been a good long run for one of the longest tech websites on the Internet. We wish Kyle Bennett all the best as he transitions into his new position at Intel.
You can read his full statement directly at the [H]ardOCP website.
