Wired Magazine\'s Editor, Chris Anderson, to Step Down

Kevin Moloney for The New York Times Chris Anderson, who is leaving as the editor of Wired magazine, in 2011 with one of his airplane drones.

Chris Anderson, the editor in chief of Wired magazine, is leaving to devote more time to the drone company he has been developing.

Mr. Anderson, who joined Wired in 2001, said Friday he would leave by the end of the year to work full time on running his start-up, the San Diego-based 3D Robotics. According to the company's Web site, it designs personal drones for private customers.

“This is an opportunity for me to pursue an entrepreneurial dream,” Mr. Anderson said in a st atement. “I'm confident that Wired's mission to influence and chronicle the digital revolution is stronger than ever and will continue to expand and evolve.”

In an interview last December with Tabitha Soren on Bloomberg, Mr. Anderson said he had been working on the company for three years. He expected that there would be plenty of demand in the private market for drones and that they ultimately could replace more costly helicopters.

Mr. Anderson said he personally used a drone to check out the Google campus. Drones, he said, “don't get bored. They don't charge overtime. They're not unionized.”

Wired has experienced some growth in advertising dollars and a steady rise in circulation as other magazines have been struggling. Anderson told Bloomberg that his company was profitable by its third year.

“We sell products for more than they cost,” said Mr. Anderson.