After 7 and a half years, it’s finally time to say goodbye to Automattic. The position that was my absolute “dream job” when I first started back in 2017. The company that sent me around the world, and paired me up with colleagues from many countries, cultures, and walks of life. The “merry band” of distributed coworkers and friends who, in so many ways, shaped who I am today.
When leaving Automattic, people generally get a chance to write a “farewell post” that co-workers can read and comment on. Unfortunately, because of the nature of the layoff that I was a part of, I didn’t have such an opportunity, so I thought I would write it up here.
From a career standpoint, I feel like I “grew up” at Automattic. This was the first “big” company that I had ever worked for. I hadn’t travelled very much before, and so that part was definitely a thrill. I was proud to be part of a team that was making the web a better place, working on software that was used by thousands and even millions of people. I learned a lot, very quickly.
Working remotely was definitely an adjustment at first, and I recall having some struggles with it early on. But I got into the groove, and figured out the new methods of communication that came with the territory. Gradually, I got to know my coworkers a bit better, learned the ropes, and started contributing more and more. And almost 8 years in, I was still growing, still pushing myself, still getting better.
As a company, Automattic was a pretty great place to work in many ways. The Automattic Creed is something that still resonates with me today:
I will never stop learning. I won’t just work on things that are assigned to me. I know there’s no such thing as a status quo. I will build our business sustainably through passionate and loyal customers. I will never pass up an opportunity to help out a colleague, and I’ll remember the days before I knew everything. I am more motivated by impact than money, and I know that Open Source is one of the most powerful ideas of our generation. I will communicate as much as possible, because it’s the oxygen of a distributed company. I am in a marathon, not a sprint, and no matter how far away the goal is, the only way to get there is by putting one foot in front of another every day. Given time, there is no problem that’s insurmountable.
Automattic encouraged me to always be learning, to take time for self care, and to treat work as a “marathon, not a sprint”. My coworkers embodied the line “I will never pass up an opportunity to help out a colleague”, and I tried to do my part whenever I could as well.
Easily the best part of Automattic was always the people. During my time I worked on a few different teams. There were many shifts between people switching teams, leads coming and going, and even being a team lead myself a couple of times. And for the most part, everyone I worked with was a fantastic human being. There were a few relationships that were more challenging than others, of course, but Automattic does seem to attract very kind, caring, supportive people. A smile quickly comes to my face when I think about the various people that I’ve had the privilege of meeting and working with in my time there.
I want to thank everyone who I crossed paths with over the years, but there is no way I would get everyone. If you’re reading this and we ever had any interaction at Automattic – whether a Slack DM, a P2 comment, a Donut chat, a random encounter at a meetup, or something else – thank you. You made my experience at Automattic richer, and I appreciate you.
A few groups that I do need to call out:
- For everyone who was on the Guardians team when I joined. Thank you for welcoming me into the fold, teaching me your ways, and putting up with the wide-eyed ruby developer who thought he knew all the answers.
- For all the Sensei folks, whether I was your lead at some point or not, thank you for embarking on that journey with me. We did some great work, we tried some hard things, and you’ll always have a special place in my heart.
- For the Waffle Makers, what a wild ride! Thanks for teaching me to be a hacker, and for encouraging me as I hesitantly took the reins of our little team. I had high hopes for the next phase of our work, and I wish those of you who remain at the company all the best in the tough days to come.
I received a lot of crucial support at Automattic from many team leads, HR Wranglers, coaches, and colleagues. A big shout out to any of y’all who filled that sort of role for me, especially in some of my times of struggle. You know who you are.
With that, one chapter closes, and another opens. I don’t know what is next yet. I’m going to take advantage of this unique liminal space that I’ve been gifted, and I’m not going to rush through it. I’ve been feeling for a while that it would be beneficial to spend some time letting my heart guide me into figuring out what it wants to do next, and I hope to give it the time to do that.
Until then, for everyone who has been part of my life over the last 7.5 years: take care, keep in touch, and I truly hope our paths cross again someday.
We all miss you already.
I miss you all too! It will take some time to adjust, for sure 😞
I remember some of those wide-eyed moments fondly. 😊 I’m sorry things ended this way. I wish you well on your journey to discovering what comes next.
Thank you Donna! We had some good times, for sure. I appreciate your well-wishes 🙂
Hey, do you remember the time you had an egg explode on your stove in the middle of a team call? 😂
We’ve been connected so long. First at school then work for the past 7.5 years. It’s wild to me how little time we’ve seen each other in person 😆
You are one of the smartest and kindest people I know. I’m 100% confident what ever comes next for you will be amazing and where ever you land will be lucky to have you.
Thanks Sandy. Yeah, it’s funny how little we would actually see other local coworkers in person, haha. We’ll have to change that. Get out biking some more or something.
Also wishing you the best in whatever comes next. Your skill, kindness, and dedication will be a huge benefit to wherever you go next 🙂
It was a real pleasure working with you, Alex. I miss our chats while diving into code together on Guardians and Evergreen. I’m confident great things are ahead for you, and I can’t wait to see what you build. Your next company will be lucky to have you!
Thanks so much, Jake. I’ve really enjoyed working with you, and have appreciated your friendship and support over the years. If you ever find yourself in Nova Scotia, don’t hesitate to ping!
It was a pleasure working with you, Alex! You are one of the best professionals I’ve had the opportunity to work with during my whole career. Your skills, dedication, and teamwork are very inspiring. I wish you all the success in your journey ahead because you deserve the best!
You’re too kind, Renatho! It was such a joy to work with you, and I’ve missed it since leaving Evergreen. I wish you all the best as well as you navigate this and figure out what is next. Wherever you end up, they’ll be lucky to have you 🙂
That was inspiring to read. Thanks for all the good times together and your mentoring!
Sensei ❤️
Thanks Aaron! Hey, let’s play some chess sometime, yeah? 😄
I’m so happy that I had the opportunity to work with you, and I hope our paths cross again!
Not gonna lie, this one hurts. You’ve been a huge inspiration and encouragement to me, and I truly admired the way you’ve championed ideas and solutions. Going to miss you very very much.
Daniel! Oh man, what a time we’ve had. We never worked together “directly”, but I wish we had gotten the opportunity. As you know, I was always very impressed with your abilities and your drive. I hope you can keep pushing and find the opportunity that you’re looking for, you deserve it!
Thank you for your kind words. I will miss you as well. I wish you all the best in the days and weeks to come, and I hope our paths cross again.
It was always a pleasure, Alex. Thank you for all of your help and contributions over the years.
Thanks! I had high hopes for the security roadmap stuff I was just starting to work on, and appreciated our conversations about it. I guess it wasn’t meant to be for me, but I hope y’all can continue the work in a positive direction. All the best 🙂
Hey Alex I posted this on farewellp2 at your request.
Thanks, I appreciate it! 🙏
I’m glad that we were finally able to get in a few games of chess over the board! I’m confident that you have great things ahead of you, whatever the direction you choose.
It was so great that we got to meet up in Florida! And I’m very proud to have finally won a game of chess with you. You’re lucky it was a fast game that I wasn’t writing down, otherwise it would be going on Youtube 😂
Thank you for the kind words. I appreciated working with you, and would love to keep in touch!
Alex, your words brought back memories of my early days at Automatic when you were such a guiding force for me. Whatever path you take next, I have no doubt you’ll bring the same thoughtfulness and skill that made working with you such a privilege. I hope our paths cross again soon!
Thanks for the kind words Ronnie. I certainly enjoyed my time working with you, and greatly appreciate all your support while I was in a time of struggle and transition. I wish you all the best moving forward. Keep in touch!