Recap: It's been nearly three years since HardOCP founder Kyle Bennett announced he was stepping away from the site to take a job with Intel as Director of Enthusiast Engagement, a gig that would see Bennett serve as a liaison between the chipmaker and the enthusiast community. This week, however, he returned to HardOCP albeit in a limited capacity.
In a farewell message posted March 19, 2019, Bennett said he had been doing the same job for over two decades and the opportunity to do something new was very appealing.
"My new position with Intel is going to allow me to be another voice for the enthusiast inside the company, which I think is something it needs going forward," Bennett said. "Similarly, I will get to be an Intel voice that directly reaches out to the enthusiast community, which I think is equally needed."
What was unexpected about all this is that Kyle's stint at Intel wouldn't last more than two months.
Bennett said HardOCP would be "mothballed" and would no longer publish news, editorials or hardware review content. Given the effective date of April 1, some believed it was little more than an early April Fool's gag. A follow-up Twitter post with a picture of his Intel work badge cleared up any suspicion of an elaborate prank.
On December 28, 2021, Bennett returned to HardOCP. In a brief update, he said he has been out of the game for almost three years, but wanted somewhere to speak his mind that wasn't social media. He warned that visitors shouldn't expect daily news updates or reviews like in the past. Rather, think of it as a blog where he will speak about tech gear and companies from time to time. Interested parties can follow Kyle on Twitter, too.
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