Gadget guru David Pogue dropped a sizable surprise bomb Monday when he announced that he’s leaving The New York Times after 13 years to go work for Yahoo. Pogue’s column, “State of the Art,” and his blog, “Pogue’s Posts,” are consistently among the more popular sections of the paper. At Yahoo , he says, he’ll resume doing both, along with more videos and “all sorts of online and real-world creations.”

Via email, Pogue, who also writes for Scientific American and appears on PBS and CBS News, answered a few questions about the move. Watch for a special guest appearance from Yahoo corporate communications!

FORBES: Were you thinking of leaving the Times when Yahoo first approached you? Was there anything that could’ve persuaded you to stay at the Times?

DAVID POGUE: No, I wasn’t thinking of leaving The Times. I loved it there. I figured I’d stay forever, if they’d let me! But Yahoo approached me this summer with an offer I couldn’t refuse: amazing publishing freedom (in frequency, column length, format, and timing); all the creative possibilities that come with being digital (audio, video, real-time reader interaction); and, of course, Yahoo’s absolutely enormous readership, which just hit 800 million readers a month.

What can you tell me about how this new venture is structured? Will you have equity in the new site/outlet you’re creating, or is this a pretty straightforward hire?

It’s a straightforward hire, except that I get unlimited logowear at the Yahoo store. (That’s a joke.)

Given your profile, you could pretty easily find the backing to launch a new media company of your own, as a number of other technology writers have done. So why do it under Yahoo, or anyone else?

I’m a giant vat of creative juices. I have no interest in the stress, administrative, and red tape of creating a whole new outfit. I just want to write and talk and explain, on the platform with the widest reach possible. Turns out that’s Yahoo.

You ran up against the Times’s extra-strict policies a number of times in your years there. How will you approach stuff like speaking fees and conflicts of interest now that you’re out from under their code of ethics? Was a desire to be able to operate more freely with regard to side gigs a factor in your decision to leave?

YAHOO SPOKESPERSON: Yahoo editorial employees abide by an editorial ethics code. They can do paid appearances that do not compromise the integrity of their coverage. External appearances for all Yahoo employees are subject to approval. [Pogue didn't offer any comment of his own on this question.]

Is there anything you’re looking forward to doing that just wasn’t possible at the Times?

POGUE: My new boss, Robertson Barrett, told me: “We want to be your playground.” That phrase is catnip to a creative type like me! I’ve got a list of cool ideas so long, you’d get tired just reading it. The point is that we can do things online, on phones, on tablets, on TV, and in person that nobody in consumer tech has tried yet. All of a sudden, all things are possible.

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