First, I’d like to recognize how dormant my blog has been. I expect that to change a bit, because I have news to share.

The clock just ticked past another momentous moment – the end of my employment at Google.  After fifteen and a half years – only slightly longer than my tenure at Microsoft – today was my last day, and I have handed in my badge.  (Although for those of you in town for Blinkon next week, I’m still going and I hope to see you there!)

I should be clear that I left on my own initiative, and not because I was unhappy with Google as an employer.  I will miss my Chrome colleagues dearly, and I think they are continuing to do good work.  For a variety of personal reasons as well as a few professional ones, it was simply time for me to take a step back.  I’ll go into more detail on those reasons as time unfurls.

I do expect to continue being active in the Web community.  I continue to have a very passionate belief in the potential of the Web as a unifying platform for good in humanity, and I consider myself extremely fortunate to have made so very many friends throughout the Web community, across many industries and around the world, over the last thirty-five years.  Please feel free to contact me here, or at my personal email.

Also: If you are in the Seattle area, read on.  

I have thought for a long time that I’d like to spark more real in-person community amongst web people around the Seattle area.  I’d like to start in-person groups getting together just to have social and strategic connections. I’ve loved taking colleagues out on my boat on Lake Union for a cocktail hour; if that sounds like something interesting to you, and you are local (or occasionally in the area), drop me a line with your email and I will add you to my list.  (No, I am not marketing anything to you other than a good time, and I will not sell or share your information.)