The FAQ on my move to CNET

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It's the CNET logo. Nice!

Heading to CNET.

So I got a lot of questions about me joining CNET and leaving TWiT. I’ll answer them here. Also, thank you to everyone for the well wishes. It’s definitely appreciated.

This post is regularly updated. Last Update: December 31st

Are you leaving TWiT and why?
Yes, I am no longer part of TWiT. I thoroughly enjoyed working at TWiT and it was a dream come true to work with such an amazing team of people. I sincerely thank everyone there for the opportunities afforded to me, their friendship, and mentorship. I wish TWiT nothing but the best and continued success.

I’m headed to CNET because I wanted to try something new. I’ve been a lifelong CNET fan and an opportunity arose that I couldn’t pass up.

What will you be doing at CNET?
I will officially be a Senior Associate Editor and I’ll edit the front page of CNET.com starting in January of 2014.

Will you be doing videos for CNET?
That’s not in the job description, but we’ve talked about it. So maybe?

Will you be doing videos anywhere else?
Yup. I plan to continue hosting HotHardware.com’s Two and a Half Geeks. I’ve also got a couple of ideas for some new shows (and I’m thinking of reviving some old shows with your help). You might see me on my own or working with those Guys From Queens (since I’m a guy from Queens as well).

Is “This Old Nerd” coming back?
I’m exploring the feasibility of that.

Do you know you sound just like Ron Richards from “All About Android?”
Yes, I do. It was a startling revelation that should have spurred an Image Comic.

When is your last day at TWiT?
My last live appearance was December 18th, 2013.

Did you get fired?
No. No one fired me. I left on my own.

Why didn’t you show up on Tom’s last TNT?
I asked to be a part of the episode, but was not allowed to appear beyond a recording.

How is Liz taking this move?
Here’s her response, “It will be sad to not work with Iyaz daily but I’m happy and proud for the opportunity he has been given with CNET.”

Will you provide us with updates?
You can ask me questions on Twitter and I’ll update this post.

60 thoughts on “The FAQ on my move to CNET”

  1. Wow this is alot happening at once with both you and Tom leaving TWIT. It won’t be the same without you two. Good luck to you. Best wishes

    • Wow! I”m like Sarah – I’m not stoic. Waaahhhh.

      Such a good team – shattered.

      I know you and Tom will do fine but I’m really sad to lose one of my favorite shows. When things are NOT broken, they don’t need fixing.

      Best wishes to you. You’ll be great at C/net if they have any sense over there.

      So my only show left at TWIT is Steve Gibson.

      Bah, humbug.

  3. I like Sarah, but you were the only reason to even think about listening to the new TNT. I was really starting to get into Know How as well. Guess I’ll download the old episodes and cherish them.

  8. You need to help out the guys on the 404 show. Their tech info isn’t up to par. They don’t quit get things right.

  10. Your a good man and everyone wishes you the best buddy ! Your wisdom and mannerisms will be missed cheers for the memories ( irishkarl)

  11. It was clear that you were honing your skills these last couple of months on know how. In the end you have created a nice downloadable resource with the shows you created.
    After recently canceling my podcast sub to 404 maybe with you and your influence over there it could get interesting. Best wishes to you and TWIT.

  12. Aparrently filling out the TWIT feedback survey is how I get my favorite personalities to leave the network. Damn I won’t make that mistake again. Good luck Iyaz and thank you.

  16. Thanks for this FAQ Iyaz. Congrats on the new job. I was still reeling from Tom’s exodus from TWiT and was hoping that you and Mike Elgan would keep TNT alive. Oh well.

    I’m sure you’ll be great at CNET and I’ll watch your feed for any updates. Boy, TWiT will need to do some hiring and show development quick…

  17. Thanks for giving us the update. With you and Tom both leaving, you’ve made it easier for me to decide to make a clean break with TNT in 2014, but I look forward to following where you do wind up and whatever podcasts you may do.

  18. Iyaz – I wish HUGE success! I so enjoyed the times you took the mic and fired away Q&As. But more than anything I’m so happy your Know How show. I would NEVER have tried rooting, jail breaking, replacing my iPhone battery and a ton of other things if you hadn’t shown us how. In January I will be 60 and completely baffle many in my generation. 😉 But I just wanna have fun. Thank you, Iyaz. You’re a star.

  20. Iyaz,
    I wish you great wishes with CNET, but if Tom Merritt hadn’t left TWiT, would you have left also? Do you know who will be replacing you? And will you continue to watch TWiT and participate in the chat room?

    Thanks,
    Riley
    (riley at irc.twit.tv)

  21. Hi Iyaz,
    Enjoyed you on the Twit shows. Happy trails on your tech journey! I’m in SF so maybe I will see you sometime.
    Thom Terrific

  22. Good luck with the new gig. You were my favorite personality on Twit and it bums me out to know you’re leaving and I won’t see on a podcast in the near future. Have a wonderful Christmas.

  23. Three TWiT shockers (Tom fired, Mike hired, Iyaz quit)… Wow, big changes. Hopefully everyone involved will remain on speaking terms!

    All the best in your future endeavors, Iyaz.

  24. It’s tough not to laugh at people who think 404 is a tech news show. You just don’t get it. 404 is perfect the way it is. I know Jeff is tight with Iyaz, though, so that should be interesting. Maybe he can be on the new show? If he comes to NY.

  25. You will be missed, and losing 50% of anything is always a shock, specially of a venerable internet TV show. Valla con Dios.

  26. Will miss your clever sense of humor, your insight, the beard, halloween faces, the laugh and ‘Game Of Geeks’ will never be able to get a better show MC.
    Will be missed by this geek, thank you Iayz.

  27. Wow. Good to hear that you are no longer under control of Leo’s Yoko Ono (Lisa K)! When the last TNT with Tom airs It will be the last TWIT content that I ever consume. (I’ve been on board since the very first TWIT podcast) UNLIKE you I am bitter and and don’t wish any further success to Leo and TWIT. Looking forward to my schadenfreude moment when the thing implodes.

  30. Looking forward to your new content. I will miss you on twit, and you were the last person that would have kept me watching the show.

    Good luck!

  31. Iyaz! I’m a bit late in hearing this… first Tom, now you?! Really sorry to see you go. I’m a big Know How fan, you did great work with that. I really liked the TNT team also. I know Elgan is a long-time pro, though I don’t always agree with his opinion pieces. And I can’t really imagine the chemistry between him and Sarah working, but perhaps so, who knows.

    TWIT lost a real asset, but congratulations on the new opportunity. I wish you all the best and I’m sure you’ll do well.

  32. I wish you all the best at CNET you will be missed at Twit by your colleagues and the viewers
    I was really looking forward to the future show

  33. I’ve stopped listening to twit for the most part anyway. All it is is a bunch of drunk guys talking. All other shows remain stagnet. Leo is part of the 1% crowd. I realized this when him and his buddies demonized microsoft for reversing there decision on not being able to sell used games without them getting a cut. Not to mention the way lanigan was treated by him and his lovely gf.

  34. Iyaz….
    I discovered today that you were leaving TNT & TWIT…… Sooooo sad….
    It is a HUGE loss for the show… Best of luck to you….
    CNET was what brought me to Podcasts & tech…. Perhaps you can help out 404 (I long ago unsubscribed from them)..… & join the “Daily Tech News” show with your expertise!!!
    Sandy

  35. This is really sad.

    Yourself and Tom were the best thing about the TWIT Network. Lately i’ve been finding myself unsubscribing from quite a few Twit Shows because i almost feel like it’s turning into a Cheerleading squad for Apple and Google.

    So this certainly won’t help, as i felt you were one of the more balanced Hosts from the various shows..unlike others *cough*Sarah*cough*.

  36. Sorry to see you go Iyaz.

    I remember seeing you start on your first day (it was around the time I first found Twit) and you made me feel you were one of us (i.e. not a former TV personality) and I enjoyed your angle on things.

    Good luck and cheers to you!

  37. Oh man, I was really excited about the Game of Geeks show you were playing around with. It was hilarious. Good luck to you in your future at CNET. You will be missed.

  38. Iyaz,
    Just found out today that you are leaving TWIT for CNET. Congratulations on the move and job at CNET. I will be following your work there as I have at TWIT in the past. Best of luck.

  39. Wow. This is a shock with you leaving too. TNT won’t be the same without you and Tom. I love Sarah but Mike Elgan is smug and has no personality.
    Thanks for your knowledge that you have passed on to us on Know How. I wish you the best of luck. Hope you get in front of the camera again real soon.

  40. How come your departure was so sudden and without any pre-announcement? [The 29th was when your leaving was announced, but by that point, you had already left twit 11 days earlier on the 18th!!]
    Was there a falling out?

  41. Iyaz,

    Just found out (12/30/2013) from your message on that day’s TNT show that you have moved from Twit. I hope it’s for greener pastures. Your comments there, whether I agreed with them or not, were always intelligent and well reasoned and generally made me think about an issue. Your pre and post show chatter was always fun. All this I’ll miss. I don’t think TNT will be the same w/o you and Tom. Tom has indicated that he’s working on a new daily news program and if CNET approves, you might want to think about joining it even if as an occasional guest. I hope it goes live at the same time as TNT. I’m not as confident as some about Mike’s suitability for its prime host as his discussions of tech seem irrational given his depth of knowledge.

    I’m going to be looking for any video programs you appear on. Thanks for the good times.

  42. Best of luck Iyaz, Twit has lost a couple of all-stars – you will be missed. I hope you’ll be able to collaborate with Tom on future projects, I really enjoyed your work together. Such a shame, this shouldn’t have happened but I’m glad for you and your new opportunity.

  43. Smart Move Iyaz – you will be missed – I was thoroughly enjoying know how – You really did make the show. I’ll definitely continue to follow you.

  44. 🙁 I disconnected a while from TWIT while on vacation and come back to this. Sad to see you leave them. I followed your shows as well as Tom’s. Best of luck, hope you get to do something in front of the camera soon.

  45. TWIT seems to be all over the place with 99% of it junk now. Terrible reviews of products from people not qualified.
    Want to see a well designed site ?
    Revision 3 ! After seeing the survey got a feeling TWIT is going under.

  46. Iyaz Akhtar your a great guy! Loved all the things you have done on Twit, now ” the worst in Tech” good luck man wish you all the best and thanks for all the great times!

  47. I have only been watching TNT for a couple years and I loved it….it will not be the same without you (and Tom). I will be looking for you on the web! Thanks for helping to make my daily commute much better the last couple years! And good luck with your new gig at CNET! You will ROCK it!

  49. I;ve enjoyed your work on the TWiT network. In fact, as a mathematician who is only an amateur in the world of the web, I found your coverage of topics to be very intelligent. And along with Tom, I appreciated your adult coverage of tech – by that I mean focusing on conceptual matters rather than the endless trivialities of gadgets and minor details of various programs.

    I understand that, ultimately, someone has to support your work, and the biggest pocket out there are the tech companies who have a general understandable bias towards new technology, whether it’s useful, creative, or serves any purpose.

    Maybe it’s because you are an attorney: I am in awe of what you bring to discussions because of this background.

    Like everyone else I know, I will miss you on TWiT, and I’ll look for you at CNET and hope you’ll have time to work with the people at GFQ.

    Sincerely,

    Ted Dushane, Ph.D., M.D.

  50. Leo Laporte tweetd “Iyaz quit. He was under contract and we had just given him a raise. C’est la vie.”

    Leo is exposing everything and is not holding anything back, very unprofessional.

  51. Pingback: The Moment TWiT Lost Iyaz Akhtar | TWiT Uncovered

  52. Hi iyaz! I was just watching the last real TNT episode and had no idea you left but I wish you the best! Will you be moving back to ny? I tried to watch the new TNT but it has no personality. Sarah tries but it’s like Mike sucks all her enthusiasm out of the podcast. It’s very sad. I tweeted to Leo about how I couldn’t watch TNT if it stays this way. Glad Tom is still doing news and hope to see you on the screen again, you should join him. A guy from Brooklyn to a guy from Queens, I know you will do well, enjoy it!

  53. Wow, surprised by all this, as I took a vacation from twit shows during christmas break. Iyaz, you, and Sarah were my favs on TWiT… Hate to cya go, but best wishes to you!

    The new TNT is way too stale… hard to watch it. Cyazzz!!

    Trey
    netBrainiac

  54. Best of luck to you iYaz as I know you and Tom Merritt will bring us newer and even better thinks. You and Tom are very talented but just as importantly two great people. I wish you the best and will look forward to you new shows and CNet work. Have been catching all of tom’s new DTNS podcast and saw you on there recently (good job). Best of luck as you will be missed on TWiT but more great stuff is to come from you for sure.

  55. Sad to see you leaving TWiT but it sounds like you got a great opportunity at CNet. You and Tom Merritt will be missed on TWiT but I am sure even better things are to come. Tom’s DTNS podcast is already a favorite of mine and you were on there recently and did a great job. My TWiT chat-room handle was FredFlintstone. Bets of luck and I look forward to your shows. You iYaz and Tom Merritt know tech and do a great job but just as importantly are good people.

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