Gizmodo Boss Joe Brown Goes (Back) to Wired

Wired, the Conde Nast tech title, continues an overhaul that began last fall: Joe Brown, the top editor at Gawker Media’s Gizmodo tech site, is joining up.

Brown will be Wired’s “New York editor,” a new role that will have him weighing in on the brand’s magazine, tablet edition and website. It’s his second time at Wired, where he had previously worked as a deputy to then-gadget-boss Mark McClusky. McClusky now runs the company’s website, under new editor in chief Scott Dadich.

Gawker Media owner Nick Denton hasn’t named a replacement for Brown, who ran the site for the last two years; veteran Gizmodo editor Joel Johnson will lead a search for a new editor. “We’re looking for someone with design background,” Denton said.

This one seems like an amicable Denton/editor breakup. Here’s Brown’s take, delivered via IM (he’s still a Gawker employee, after all): “I’ve had an amazing few years at Gizmodo — the team here is among the best in any business, and I love them like family. But I am pumped about going home to Wired. With Scott and the team he’s put in place, it’s like we’re getting the band back together.” (Update: And here’s more from Brown, who is also an extremely patient Pai Gow poker tutor.)

And here’s more from Denton, also via IM (because, see above): “Gizmodo began as the online embodiment of the Fetish section of Wired. And it’s a good time to recover that central purpose: the cataloging of beautiful things. Especially with image annotation on the new Kinja platform. Applications for [the] EIC role should go to joel At gizmodo dot com.”