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(a)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(a)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
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