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Definition: Ziff Davis


(Ziff Davis, LLC., New York) A leading integrated media company that serves the computer and consumer lifestyle markets. With more than 35 websites, its tech offerings include PCMag.com, ExtremeTech.com, Mashable.com and Geek.com. Also included is PC Labs, which provides benchmark testing of computers and electronic devices.

PC Magazine - A Venerable Publication
Perhaps the most well-known Ziff Davis tech offering is PC Magazine, which dates back to 1982. Every hardware and software vendor covets a PC Magazine Award for Technical Excellence. With paper publications increasingly difficult to justify, January 2009 marked the last issue of the magazine in print. A searchable online version followed until 2022.

Since 1927
In 1927, Ziff Davis was founded in Chicago by William Ziff, Sr. and Bernard Davis. It evolved into a highly respected publishing empire that was sold to Forstmann Little & Co. in 1994. Within a year, it was acquired by Softbank. Ziff Davis Media was formed in 2000 when Willis Stein & Partners acquired it from Softbank, which sold its Ziff Davis properties to several companies. In 2010, Ziff Davis Media was acquired by former Time executive Vivek Shah and Boston-based Great Hill Partners. See ZDNet and Ziff Davis Enterprise.




Celebrating Forty Years
In 2022, PC Magazine offered everyone the opportunity to be "Tech Innovator of the Year" by uploading their photo and selecting a cover style. This is Alan Freedman, author of this encyclopedia. He was "not" the tech innovator of the year, but he impressed his friends!