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
Dear all,
I am following up on Toby’s email to acknowledge that he has been a key leader at the Foundation and his departure will be felt across the organisation.
As a CPO Toby centered the priorities of the Product department around the reading and editing experience on the Wikimedia projects. He worked both to develop and lead work to expand access in emerging editing and reading communities.
Toby played an instrumental role in supporting the formation of the Wikimedia Foundation Product Committee [1] and in continuously engaging the Board on platform strategy. He worked in close collaboration with the board committee in prioritising security and diversifying community growth. I myself got to work with Toby quite a lot through the committee work, and I personally appreciate getting additional context on product development efforts by the department.
Toby’s departure comes during a period of executive transition within the Foundation. The Board is committed to working closely with the Transition Team at the Foundation to ensure that this does not interrupt the many crucial initiatives being led by the Product department. We, as the board, are confident that the appointment of the new CEO, Maryana Iskander, signals a strong path forward for the Foundation and the common desire to meet the vision outlined in the movement strategy.
In this interim period, the Product department will be led by its two Vice Presidents, Margeigh Novotny and Carol Dunn, with the full support of Maryana, the Board and the Foundation transition team.
For now, please join me in wishing Toby well as he begins his next chapter.
[1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Product_Committee Best regards, antanana / Nataliia Tymkiv Acting Chair, Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees
*NOTICE: You may have received this message outside of your normal working hours/days, as I usually can work more as a volunteer during weekend. You should not feel obligated to answer it during your days off. Thank you in advance!*
On Tue, Oct 12, 2021 at 8:36 PM Toby Negrin tnegrin@wikimedia.org wrote:
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 _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l Public archives at https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/... To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-leave@lists.wikimedia.org
We are going to miss but I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.
Best wishes
Isaac
On Tue, 12 Oct 2021, 18:39 Nataliia Tymkiv, ntymkiv@wikimedia.org wrote:
Dear all,
I am following up on Toby’s email to acknowledge that he has been a key leader at the Foundation and his departure will be felt across the organisation.
As a CPO Toby centered the priorities of the Product department around the reading and editing experience on the Wikimedia projects. He worked both to develop and lead work to expand access in emerging editing and reading communities.
Toby played an instrumental role in supporting the formation of the Wikimedia Foundation Product Committee [1] and in continuously engaging the Board on platform strategy. He worked in close collaboration with the board committee in prioritising security and diversifying community growth. I myself got to work with Toby quite a lot through the committee work, and I personally appreciate getting additional context on product development efforts by the department.
Toby’s departure comes during a period of executive transition within the Foundation. The Board is committed to working closely with the Transition Team at the Foundation to ensure that this does not interrupt the many crucial initiatives being led by the Product department. We, as the board, are confident that the appointment of the new CEO, Maryana Iskander, signals a strong path forward for the Foundation and the common desire to meet the vision outlined in the movement strategy.
In this interim period, the Product department will be led by its two Vice Presidents, Margeigh Novotny and Carol Dunn, with the full support of Maryana, the Board and the Foundation transition team.
For now, please join me in wishing Toby well as he begins his next chapter.
[1] https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Foundation_Product_Committee
Best regards, antanana / Nataliia Tymkiv Acting Chair, Wikimedia Foundation Board of Trustees
*NOTICE: You may have received this message outside of your normal working hours/days, as I usually can work more as a volunteer during weekend. You should not feel obligated to answer it during your days off. Thank you in advance!*
On Tue, Oct 12, 2021 at 8:36 PM Toby Negrin tnegrin@wikimedia.org wrote:
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 _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l Public archives at https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/... To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-leave@lists.wikimedia.org
Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l Public archives at https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/... To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-leave@lists.wikimedia.org
Ah Toby. I am going to miss you a lot, and I think that you are leaving some very big shoes to fill.
It has been a pleasure to work with someone from Product who "gets" the community and has taken feedback from the community seriously and used that feedback to improve the experience for editors and readers. This can be a big challenge, because I wouldn't exactly say the community is unified in what they consider "improvements".
I wish you well on your continuing journey.
Risker/Anne
On Tue, 12 Oct 2021 at 13:36, Toby Negrin tnegrin@wikimedia.org wrote:
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 _______________________________________________ Wikimedia-l mailing list -- wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines and https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia-l Public archives at https://lists.wikimedia.org/hyperkitty/list/wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org/... To unsubscribe send an email to wikimedia-l-leave@lists.wikimedia.org
On Tue, Oct 12, 2021 at 12:54 PM Risker risker.wp@gmail.com wrote:
It has been a pleasure to work with someone from Product who "gets" the community and has taken feedback from the community seriously and used that feedback to improve the experience for editors and readers. This can be a big challenge, because I wouldn't exactly say the community is unified in what they consider "improvements".
I think it's worth saying here that Toby did not innately "get" the community (and I suspect the next hire won't either!) Instead, like truly great product people, he had to spend a *lot* of time listening, and questioning, and wondering, and yes... picking and choosing his battles :) This listening and learning was, more than anything else, what I'll remember about working with Toby - he was *constantly* trying to learn and understand, both from practice (lots of time talking to Wikipedians and parsing the data) and from theory (I lost count of the number of times he said "I've been reading this book on [relevant topic] and it made me think..."
Which is both to say: to everyone on this list, remember that those "big shoes to fill" were not initially seen as big shoes. As with all the new wave of leadership in the foundation, patience both ways is a virtue :) and to Toby specifically: kudos to you, friend, for doing one of the hardest jobs in the software industry and doing it well (and being a delightful human being in the meantime even if you spend too much time thinking about birds). You've left WMF and our software a much better place than you found it.
Luis
Luis
wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org