Hi all,
I’m writing to share that I’ve decided to step down as Chief Product
Officer at the Wikimedia Foundation and my last day will be November 1.
I’ve said before that I believe this is the most interesting job in the
world. After all, what happens in the world happens on Wikipedia. I have
felt incredibly fortunate to be a part of this movement, working on some of
the most urgent problems around knowledge and access that we face today.
I first joined the Foundation in 2013 as the Director of Analytics, and if
you had told me back then that I would end up staying for eight years, I
would never have believed you. Eight years is a long time. I am proud of
the work that this department has done, and I will take many lessons with
me. And at the same time, I’ve also realized I’m ready for the next chapter
in my career.
As I leave the Foundation, I want to express my deep gratitude to all of
you - the volunteers who have built these projects into what they are
today. Your contributions, your knowledge and your time have created these
projects that have become the largest collection of open knowledge in human
history. Every technology leader seeks passionate, engaged users who are
actively sharing feedback on the platforms they build. This community has
never let us down in that regard. Our work together between the communities
and the Product department wasn’t always easy, but on the whole we operated
under an assumption of good faith[1] and with a recognition of our
respective roles in helping improve the reading and editing experience of
our projects. I’m immensely proud of the work that we’ve accomplished and
the chance to work alongside so many talented people.
The Wikimedia Foundation was the first nonprofit of my career. At the time,
it was a welcome change and a chance to use my skills for good. I have seen
the Foundation go through many iterations and transitions. I’m proud to
have been part of its incredible growth and the increasing impact we are
making in the world. There have been many successes and many challenges
too, as we have tackled the new realities of the internet, and sought to
make our projects truly global and inclusive. In considering all of this,
now feels like the right time for me to step back and get closer to why I
became an engineer in the first place — being a builder and a developer.
I’ve been energized by the work of this department and this movement,
bringing values of privacy, respect for users, inclusion and safety to
building on the open web. I hope to carry these forward as I take on a more
hands-on role in technology innovation in my next chapter.
Thank you to everyone that I’ve had the chance to work with on powering
some of the most innovative work on the open web. I cannot wait to see what
you all achieve next.
Cheers,
Toby
--
Toby Negrin (he/his)
Chief Product Officer
Wikimedia Foundation
[1]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Assume_good_faith