We are heartbroken to announce that Peter White, our founder and CEO, has passed away suddenly.
Few have blended journalistic swagger with analyst edge like Peter White has over a glistening career. He was a rare breed and has instilled a distinctive ethos among the teams and products forged under the umbrella of Rethink Technology Research, which he co-founded 20 years ago.
A challenger to C-suite executives and technologists the world over, Peter will be remembered for his fierce interview techniques, cutthroat writing style, and unrivaled talent for crystal ball reading – building a reputation as one of the world’s most trusted sources of technology market analysis.
Many will remember Peter for his elephant’s memory, wicked humor, and as a maverick who savored his troublemaker status at press conferences – where he would take great joy in letting everyone know he was the smartest person in the room.
He was also a husband, a father, and a recently proud grandfather.
Faultline is making our readers aware of Peter’s death ahead of IBC 2023, an event he relished in a city he loved.
From Peter’s oldest fans to his former foes, we encourage you to meet with the Faultline team in Amsterdam to toast a celebration of Peter White’s life and career.
Peter witnessed Faultline pass the milestone of publishing its 1000th issue just three weeks ago. He was directly involved in writing approximately 600 of these weekly issues, helping countless companies survive shifting industry trends.
This was right up until Peter’s brave decision to catapult from the comfort of the video technology industry he knew so well into an entirely new technology market, the renewable energy ecosystem – establishing the Rethink Energy wing in 2019.
Peter has penned millions of words that will live on indefinitely, many in infamy for saying things others simply could not see, or were too scared to say publicly.
These words are rooted not only in Rethink’s brands – Faultline, Rethink TV, Wireless Watch, RAN Research, and Rethink Energy – but also in the legacy of the Computerwire magazine he started in 1984, which became one of the first to embrace internet publishing.
Here is a timeless quote written by Peter, pulled from Faultline’s debut when he introduced the new service in early 2003:
“Rethink believes that there is an entirely new major economy in prospect, one far more real than the new internet economy, but one that will hold the financial community in just as rabid a grip. Faultline will document the beginnings of an economic war that will envelop telecom operators, cable TV companies, film makers and their conventional distribution arms and the entire television business.”
“Over the coming months, Faultline will meet those companies challenged by the Faultline Economy and bring you its take on just where the future is headed, spiced up with our own contrary thoughts.”
“What we will produce each week is a combination of current thinking, possible future scenarios, reactions to news announcements and we will try to introduce you to as many of the new players, the ones that are posing a threat to the old order, as possible. We will be offering advice to the current major media and operator owners whether they want it or not and whether they are listening or not.”
Those coming months turned into 20 years, and Peter White’s Faultline Economy ended up correctly predicting more disruption than anyone ever thought imaginable.