Clear Eyes, Full Heart
Since I have a tendency to meander, let’s get the important bits out of the way first: last Friday was my last day working for Virb and starting Feb 28th, I’ll be joining Rdio full-time.
*pour a shot of whiskey and cue some Boyz II Men*
Working on Virb these past five years has run the entire gamut of emotions. Of all the accomplishments in my life, I will count the decision and dedication as a team to change Virb from a social network into what it has become today as one I am most proud of. The courage and resiliency of these six individuals when we were at our lowest will always inspire me.
As sad as I am to leave and as difficult of a decision as it was to make, it’s incredibly reassuring to know that Virb is in a good place and in extremely competent hands. Virb will go on without me and I expect 2011 to be a very big year for them. The poise and confidence they now have in the product is shark-laser-focused. It will be exciting to cheer them on as they continue to grow Virb into something I will actively use and support.
*cue an even sappier, more a-capella-y Boyz II Men song*
For the past decade, there has been one constant in my life — Brad Smith, my best friend and outside of Mitch (CiCi’s Pizza) and Melissa (Office Depot), the only boss I’ve ever had. How can you wrap up ten years of shared life experiences neatly into one paragraph? How could you understand all the times he went without so that me and mine could be taken care of? How can you describe his magnetic likeability? How could you possibly not get a little misty-eyed writing that last paragraph? Maybe you can, but I can’t.
I owe Brad nearly everything for who and where I am today and I’d eternally regret not taking a moment to publicly acknowledge that.
With clear eyes and a full heart, I look forward to the next chapter in my career. I’ll always treasure the memories of working alongside Team Virb and I’m forever grateful for the graciousness and support Brad, Rubin, Stephen, Dave and Josh have shown me as I move on.
One journey ends and another begins. Pour me another Jameson.
