Goodbye @evleaks

It seems a little strange to see this announcement..

Goodbye @evleaks

Retirement? Of the most trusted and well-known leaker in the smartphone world? It seems confusing, especially after there’s no mention on the fairly new website he created. The conspiracies so far are..

1 – Twitter account hacked.
2 – Samsung / Apple or some other manufacturer have sent someone to “encourage” him to close it.

The real reasons seem a little more mundane, with Evan Blass – the guy behind all this – putting it down to money. He also has multiple sclerosis and has to plan for the future. In an interview with TNW he states ..

First I tried monthly sponsorships. Then weekly. Then single sponsored tweets. I took donations — felt like online panhandling.

I also started a website, and it’s actually done somewhat respectably, but with all the leaks going out on Twitter anyway, people have little incentive to visit, and most of my tech-savvy-heavy audience seem to be pretty heavy ad-block users, as well. It all adds up to an unsustainable living.

Personally, I can feel for the ad-blocking and Twitter issues. Our costs for running this site never go down, but with people using Ad-Block, our incoming cash certainly does. It’s a tricky balance.

Evan is to start a new career, so say goodbye to his leaks.