After nine years, most recently at Fastly and before that at Glitch (and Fog Creek), I am very soon (finally!) going to be taking some time off from working to catch my breath and clear my mind and focus on the new Mario Kart. And, you know, spend time my family and friends and all that good stuff.

If you've read these kinds of posts before, generally this is where people talk about how they're going to rest and recharge, and I'll certainly be doing some of that. But I wanted to use the opportunity to connect with my community and ask an important question: How can I be of service? What's the most important work to focus on next?

Over the years, I've been lucky enough to get to work with some of the most talented people at the highest levels in the worlds of technology, policy and governance, and media and entertainment and culture. I'm particularly obsessed with how these systems interact, and these days, with the breakdowns that have happened between these ecosystems, it feels like there's a huge opportunity in building new, positive systems to replace what's been broken.

What's out there

In my tech career, things have changed immensely. People seem to have forgotten to check whether the tech they’re talking about can actually do what people are saying it's designed to do. They’ve confused a financier who cuts checks to arms dealers with a technologist who actually invents new things. They’ve overlooked the innovation that’s happening on open platforms, in open communities, in human-scale spaces or in non-extractive models.

As a creator and a person who loves media and culture, I see huge potential in writers and coders and artists and musicians and video makers seizing even more of the power of owning their own work, and connecting directly with their own communities. It’s easy to imagine newer models evolving, of the power balance shifting again, and entire new platforms and industries arising from a generation of fans who’ve grown up fighting for the artists they care about.

In the world of policy and power, we’ve seen a collapse of the hard laws and soft norms that were holding everything together — in no small part due to tech tycoons working to dismantle social infrastructure and civil society. No one knows if America will recover from an authoritarian push that’s already got troops marching in the streets, but I know the power lies with the people. I have seen these battles fought and won, in our own history, in my own communities. And am galvanized to be part of helping to organize whatever is next, to shift power to those who would use it to protect and uplift others.

Every meaningful thing I’ve done in my career has been in community with all of the smart and generous people who I’m fortunate to have around me. I expect the same will be true again. I'd love to hear from friends, and those whom I haven't met yet, about what problems need to be solved.

The next thing to make

Is it building new tech that focuses on the areas the current industry is missing? Empowering creators in ways that today’s platforms too often overlook? Figuring out how we navigate the world of policy and power when the authoritarian impulse is dismantling civic infrastructure all around us?

Many folks have said I should get back to writing more (or to revive my old podcast!) or maybe get my ideas out there in a more accessible format. I’ve deeply enjoyed getting to focus on governance and accountability at the board level for the organizations that I serve. And then there’s always the purpose and joy that comes from building community.

I’m genuinely open to whatever is next in a way that I haven’t felt since possibly the start of my career. And I’m looking forward to connecting or reconnecting with all of you to hear your advice, requests, hopes or wild-eyed suggestions about some interesting things we could conspire on in the future.

So, I’m taking requests. I’ll be recharging for a while, and then back more motivated than ever. And when I’m back, what work will we do?