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
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Toby Negrin (he/his)
Chief Product Officer
Wikimedia Foundation