ReadWrite’s Next Step (And Mine)
ReadWrite is entering a new stage — as am I. I’m stepping down as ReadWrite’s editor-in-chief and leaving the publications in new hands.
Change is an eternal current in the worlds of media and technology. When I joined ReadWrite three years ago, it would have been hard to foresee everything the publication’s been through. Yet I went in knowing clearly that almost everything would change and had to change — except for the publication’s duty of service to its readers and its mission to explore, map, and define the programmable world.
It was just under a year ago that we unveiled the sale of ReadWrite to our new parent company, Wearable World — now known as Wearable IoT World. The company recently raised a new round of funding, and with those resources behind it, I’ll be pleased to see ReadWrite set the conversation about the new world of connected devices for years to come.
Introducing Owen 7.1 (Beta)
It’s likewise a good time for me to move on to my next steps. I’m not ready to announce what those are yet, although keen observers will know I’ve dropped some pretty good hints over the years. There’s an amazing opportunity ahead of us to redefine how newsrooms work, driven by data, assisted by artificially intelligent bots, and delivering narrative experiences through new mediums such as messaging apps.
My short-term project will be relaunching Ditherati, my long-dormant personal publishing project, as an experiment in short-form content delivered via messaging bots. If you’re interested in talking to me about that — or anything else, really — you can email me at owen at ditherati dot com, find me on Twitter as @owenthomas, or follow me on Facebook and LinkedIn.
ReadWriteThanks
On a personal note, I would like to express my eternal gratitude to the team that worked for me at ReadWrite—Dan, Taylor, John Paul, Fred, David, Nick, Lauren, Adriana, Brian, Stephanie, Selena, Dave, Anthony, Jodi, and Helen. ReadWrite would not have been the same without you, and I’m proud of everything we accomplished together.
Likewise the many freelance writers who contributed to us. All their names would make this quite long, but I’ll mention the stalwartly brilliant Matt, relentlessly cheerful Greg, and hilariously wry Richard. For those who joined us for 2015’s wild ride—in particular, Brian, David, Ryan, and Cate—thank you for doing excellent work while bearing with the bumps inherent in a publication running within a startup.
For the folks at Say Media and Wearable IoT World who supported us behind the scenes, thank you for everything you did to support us in our work as journalists.
Finally, special thanks go to ReadWrite founder Richard MacManus, without whose blessing I wouldn’t have taken the gig, and Kate Lewis, who gave me this unique opportunity.
