An Automattic Farewell

I feel like Automattic is far enough behind me that I can write a proper farewell post now. I was at Automattic, in WooCommerce for 3.5 years. That isn't an insignificant amount of time, but also doesn't come close to my longest tenure. A lot of my former colleagues are feeling betrayed and wronged by how things transpired. Maybe I'm just numb to "businesses doing what businesses do", or maybe I saw the writing on the wall and so I was less surprised when the layoff hit. Regardless, I don't have any hurt feelings from the whole episode.

How the layoff was handled was extremely insensitive, I will agree with that. For me, it was about 10:30am. I had a 1:1 scheduled with my lead set to start in a half hour. I was just preparing my notes on where I was at with my current project when my access to Slack disconnected. At that time, I noticed an email in my inbox with the subject line "Important Update Regarding Your Role at Automattic". Wow. Then the flurry of WhatsApp messages started because my entire team had been shown the door.

Automattic is a unique place. Leaving made me reflect on everything there from the hiring process (I didn't actually speak to another person until after I landed the job) to the completely remote-first culture. I've worked for other remote companies before, but Automattic really got it right in how they handled remote engagement. I'll probably write a post elaborating on that at some point, but the regular team meetups and autonomy to self-plan those always struck me as something really special.

But ultimately, the best part of my time at Automattic was the people. I worked on a team of very smart, very skilled quality engineers. My lead(s) were exceptional – they all modelled true leadership and helped us show up and contribute in the best ways possible. I'm proud of the work we did, and I know that I'm leaving a lasting legacy at Automattic. Things are a bit better now than when I first got there. I'm proud of that.

I'm nervous about what's next, but I'm also excited. I'm leaving Automattic with my head held high and with a confidence that I can tackle a range of challenges ahead of me. I've been applying to roles, having some great conversations with people working on really interesting projects and really asking myself "where can I make a big impact?" I think that might be my guiding question from now on. If I get to a point in a job where I ask where I can make a big impact, and the answer is "nowhere" then it will be time to move on.

Automattic was a great experience. The company culture when I joined was exemplary (there were some definite concerns recently). I value my time there, and I'm excited for the future!