Today we’ve been hearing rumours that Alex Wolfe is leaving UBM Tech and I wanted to quickly share some of my (speculative) thoughts on the matter.

UBM Tech continues to be a focal point for analysis of the international electronics industry, and Alex is a significant figure in this world. He is a true investigative journalist and, as the Brand Director for what could be described as a changing brand of EETimes, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s taken stock and decided to go back to doing what he’s proven himself to be great at: being one of the leading editors in the industry.

Although he was in Europe recently, blogging about Embedded World, I can’t see more than a handful of articles or blogs written by Alex in the last year on EETimes – and this feels like a waste. Whenever he has deployed his journalistic skills of late, it has been to great effect. For example, his recent analysis of Intel’s CEO change and speculation of how this reflects the company’s strategic shift and competitive threats, demonstrated his experience, his contacts, and his industry insight.

Yes, UBM is updating and streamlining its organisation in line with the needs of the changes in the electronics industry, and in line with the changing face and role of the media. But I wouldn’t panic that this is a sign of trouble at UBM Tech, nor that it signals the end of electronics journalism – the expertise needed to understand and credibly report on the industry will never be replaced by generalist technology publications. Instead, UBM is almost certainly making these changes to reflect wider changes in the industry and its strategy is such that it doesn’t need to lose its incredibly strong team of journalists.

If the rumours are true, we wish Alex well and hope he lands on both his feet. But, if this all turns out to be idle speculation, then let’s hope we see EETimes put Alex’s skills to fuller use.