About a week ago, i let the folks at work know that i won't be attending the company picnic this year.
…Or the Year End party.
…Or any more all hands, training seminars, status meetings, internal promotional events, daily stand-ups or really even answering my phone or email.
Mostly because after nine and a half years, i decided to try my hand somewhere else.
Let me get the obvious things out of the way:
- This has nothing to do with the "challenging times" Yahoo is supposed to be facing, nor with anyone there, nor with Carl Icahn (who is an idiot and who has about as much interest in "increasing shareholder value" as the guy that stole your car for parts is interested in long term growth in the automotive industry)
- i've repeatedly said time and time again that Yahoo is on the right path to succeed, is making good progress (look at the stuff that's come out so far) and if left to continue making profits as the #1 or #2 in a staggering number of areas, will do quite nicely for both themselves and their shareholders thankyouverymuch. Guess what? i still believe that and plan on holding a nice wad of shares even after i've departed.
- Yes, there are things that frustrated me. i've discussed them with folks in position to change them. Yes there are reasons i'm leaving that are personal, and you'll never find out what they are. (See definition of "personal")
Still, that's one of the big reasons that i've been on self imposed radio silence for so damn long (the other being that i've been leading a quiet boring life as of late).
My last day here in the land of purple and yellow is the 20th. After which, i'll be taking two weeks for myself to work on a few projects that i want to do, and then it's off to the next job. (Yep, that's lined up already. i hate sitting idle. You'll find out what that job is later.)
Honestly, there's a lot i'm going to miss about not being an official Yahoo! anymore. i still have a ton of respect for the company and in particular the guy running it at the moment. Leaving wasn't an easy choice to make, and i'm sure that there will be a few times i'll find myself headed up Lawrence Expressway out of habit.
Still, i'm definitely looking forward to the new job and am pumped about what i'll be doing. (Again, more on that later.)
Now the only question is what do i do with the piles of Yahoo! stuff i'm going to have filling a corner of my garage, and how do i convince Anne Marie that i really do need to keep several banker's boxes full of t-shirts, snow-globes, Yahoo-opoly sets, deck-chairs, and other what not. "It's… uhm… part of the company sponsored… err… earthquake relief kit. Yeah! That's it!"
:(
I'll take some of your schwag. ;)
We're working on a dot com schwag mural here – mostly t-shirts – so yes, I'm *serious* :)
Congratulations on the new job! Be sure to run weekly blood tests to determine what the half-life of purple is in your veins.
For the swag, please do post at Flickr for http://swagreport.com/ so we (that's mostly non-Yahoo!s ;-) can enjoy too….
Since folks have asked, I posted up a tiny bit of my schwag. There's more. A lot more, really. (and yeah, I do still have the shrink-wrapped Yahoo!-opoly board too. Not sure what I'm going to do with that.)
Don't let your ass hit you on the way out!
^H^H^H^H^H^Hetc.
Oops, I meant, "I'm gonna miss you, ya big lug!"
Anne Lamott got it in one: "You start where you are, is the secret of life. You do the next right thing you can see. Then the next."
Sorry to hear the next right thing isn't at Y … but glad to hear it is where it is. You're going to have a good time. :)
Gonna miss your pearls of corporate knowledge and quips of wisdom (quip is the proper unit of measure, right?). I learned what I know about how the trains run here from you, big loss for Yahoo but I'm happy for you.
hey man. you too huh? welcome to yahoo-alum . heh. you'll have to tell me where you're goin later! glad the next step is exciting for you as well.
Best of luck with your new job, JR! One less cool thing at Yahoo! now, I guess. :P
What happens to Y! Cool Thing?!? Man, you'll be missed.
Good luck and have fun. The place where you're going sounds like a blast. Not that I saw you much in person, so I won't miss you! Just keep on y! Messenger so that I have someone who is as much or more twisted than myself to chat with. Oh, and thank you for everything that you helped me with at yahoo!
Congrats on all your contributions over the years. I'm sure you'll be missed. All the best.
Got to know this from Jeremy's blog. Best of luck with your new challenges.
Dude, you just made Valleywag!
Son of a…but…how…who…what if…um. No, you're not leaving. If I believe it hard enough, you will be chained to your desk.
We need more jr's…not less.
goddam end of an era, godammit. truth lost a pal @the hoo. :( er, um, jr, does your new employer know about gnome bondage?
Congratulations on the new job! I hope you'll have fun and monkeys to wrangle there. :)
Just keep on blogging. Heh.
Cheers,
C.
Hi JR,
It causes a lump in my throat as I read this. Your devel-random posts and the largely under-appreciated ycoolthing effort will always remain in my memory. Let me hope Sean keep that up. I don't know if you still keep my last email from sundar@… in your inbox. But, I still keep your reply in memory. Let me say what you said to me then – "Once a yahoo, always so. It's like being a marine" :-)
– Sundar
sad news, you'll be missed. thanks for all the donuts, and the devel-random chuckles.
JR! Very unexpected to see you move on. You've been exceptionally patient there, and it's definitely Yahoo's loss.
I have a still shrink wrapped copy of Yahoo!-opoly. I wonder what that would go for on
Yahoo! AuctionseBay. :)