Last night, which was today, New Zealand time, Richard MacManus announced his departure from ReadWriteWeb. He was our founder, navigator, and editor-in-chief, and we will miss him.
Richard is about to start a new chapter in his storied career. He’s writing a book. ReadWriteWeb is also about to make some great changes. The excitement is mutual.
From his home in New Zealand, Richard founded the site in 2003 as his personal blog. It quickly became a guiding force on the early Web for people who sought to understand the rapidly changing environment and its implications for the future.
With help from some of the best and brightest tech writers around, Josh Catone, Jolie O’Dell, Sarah Perez, Audrey Watters, the inimitable Marshall Kirkpatrick and so many more, Richard grew the site into one of the top sources of tech news and analysis in the world.
In December of 2011, SAY Media acquired ReadWriteWeb, moving its headquarters to San Francisco to be closer to the center of the global tech industry. SAY Media determined that the site would benefit from editorial leadership based in the U.S.
Richard’s vision and leadership made ReadWriteWeb an indispensable part of the tech journalism landscape. The editorial team will do its utmost to live up to Richard’s legacy.
We are grateful to Richard for the platform he created that allows us to be thoughtful, creative and analytical. Richard encouraged us to think deeply about topics we are passionate about and his vision will continue at ReadWriteWeb.