Wes --
You guided product and technology through turbulent and disconcerting times
and now that we’re on the right track, I was hoping that you would be
around to enjoy it.
I know the last few years haven’t always been the easiest and I want to
share some gratitude for a few things. The first is your dedication and
care for the mission. You’ve always acted with the best interests of our
contributors, our readers and all of our communities in mind. You always
focused the team on transparent communications with all of our stakeholders
and we are better for it. The second is you always gave us the space to do
what we thought was right. Thank you!
Thank you for your trust in me to fill in for you as interim. I’m looking
forward to working with you and product leadership to ensure that our
annual plan lands successfully and we can continue to work with the other
departments to move our mission forward.
Good luck with what’s next. More than ever, it seems that there are
opportunities for mission minded people to have an impact on our world and
I know your next chapter will be interesting and fulfilling. Don’t be a
stranger and every time you open Wikipedia, remember you played a part in
making it what is.
-Toby
On Mon, Feb 13, 2017 at 9:22 AM, Katherine Maher <kmaher(a)wikimedia.org>
wrote:
Wes,
Thank you for everything. We are going to certainly miss you!
For those who have been here a shorter length of time, or don’t know Wes as
well, I want to take a moment to recognize his contributions.
Wes joined us in April 2015 as the leader of the newly-created Discovery
team, entering into a department that had gone through a difficult
reorganization. This team was tasked with the knowledge engine project,
which was not well understood through the organization. Wes worked
tirelessly to unpack the confusion, putting ideas into wikis and slides,
providing roadmaps, milestones and timelines. He and the team communicated
clearly and consistently about how their work would benefit our readers and
communities, building trust and confidence. He encouraged a focus on user
needs in his team, and throughout the product organization. Wes looked
after his team throughout - I know I wished I could have joined them on
their off-site at NASA’s launch center Cape Canaveral, where they went to
witness what human discovery looks like at its outer limits.
In October 2015, Wes took on leadership of the broader product
organization, stepping into the role of VP of Product. He joined us at the
c-team, offering steady perspective and strong advocacy for the needs of
the department. In November of 2015, his responsibilities grew even
greater, taking on the role of interim CTO and leadership for the entire
Technology department. Wes took this all in with grace and equanimity,
working long hours to ensure that he could be available to those who needed
him across these two large and essential teams.
Throughout, Wes was entirely clear about his goals and aspirations: he
believed in the mission, he would do anything he could to ensure that his
team and colleagues had the support they needed to succeed, and he would
work with anyone he needed to in order to make that happen. He played a
critical role in ensuring our directors in Technology were empowered to
lead the search for Victoria, our fantastic new CTO, and he was lead in our
partnership with Wikimedia Deutschland in making a long-term commitment to
Wikidata.
Wes, I am so grateful for your generosity, perseverance, and leadership.
You came into the organization at a challenging time, you took on one
difficult role after another, and you did it all with good faith and great
kindness. You’ve earned the friendship of many across the organization, and
we will certainly feel your absence.
*Next Steps*
When Wes let me know he was going to be leaving us, he also let me know
that he felt his departure was an opportunity to consider how we evolve the
Product organization for the future. We’ll be having a conversation in the
Foundation about how we might do this. At the end, we’ll hope to have a
perspective on what is going well and should stay the same, what capacity
we need and don’t have, and where things should move around to make more
sense (the recent creation of the WMCS team is a great example of how this
could work.) In practical terms, we’re not rushing this. Teams are busy
with annual planning, and there’s no need for haste. I’m just mentioning it
here so it doesn’t surprise anyone.
As Wes mentioned, Toby Negrin has generously agreed to take over as interim
head of the Product organization beginning on February 28. In this acting
role, Toby will oversee the Product department as we work to develop the
2017-2018 annual plan, and bring the efforts of our 2016-17 plan to a
close. He will also continue, for the time being, to oversee the Reading
and Community Tech teams. He’ll work closely with Anna, Victoria, and
myself in consulting with the organization about our future needs.
Toby joined the Foundation three and a half years ago as head of the
Analytics team. In 2015, he assumed the role of head of Reading and
Community Tech and has since led his department with a commitment to the
needs our readers and the community. Please join me in thanking Toby for
taking on this additional responsibility and important role.
Wes, thank you again. We will miss you, so please remember that the wikis
are always open, and you are always welcome back!
Yours,
Katherine
On Mon, Feb 13, 2017 at 9:15 AM, Wes Moran <wmoran(a)wikimedia.org> wrote:
Hello everyone,
After a great deal of consideration, I have decided that I need to take a
different path for my life and I am moving on from the Wikimedia
Foundation. I have struggled with this decision as I have great
admiration
for the mission and the people here. I have great
appreciation for how we
worked together over the past two years, and great pride in what we have
accomplished. The wide range of experiences have been amazing, and it
feels
like many more years than just two.
I am looking at a departure date of Feb 28th. Until that time, I will be
supporting the Product teams through the first draft of Annual Planning.
Katherine Maher, Victoria Coleman and I will work together with people
across the Product and Technology departments, to develop a transition
plan
that is in the best interest of the teams I
support, the Foundation, and
our movement.
Toby Negrin, currently the Head of Reading, will take over as acting
leadership for Product on 2/28. He has been working closely with me on
many
of the key programs and initiatives our
department has been planning. He
and the rest of Product leadership will continue with our Annual Planning
efforts and conclude the 2016-17 goals and programs.
It has been such a deep honor to work with the folks in Technology and
Product. I started here with Discovery, and have a special respect for
what
that team has accomplished as it evolved. The
opportunity to lead
Product,
work with chapters like Wikimedia Deutschland,
engage with the
communities,
and collaborate at the C-level was exciting and
humbling. I was happy to
work with the Product teams as they evolved into audiences and
ultimately a
Product organization focused on users and their
needs. A testament to
their
excellent work is summarized in our 2016 Product
summary
<https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Product/2016_Product_Summary>
[1]. Working with the folks in Technology to find our CTO was exciting,
challenging, and illuminating. It was a wonderful and unexpected path
that
would not have been possible without the great
support of that team.
There
are so many partnerships both with teams and
individuals across this
organization and other organizations that I had the chance to engage and
work together with.
I have a great deal of respect and confidence in all of you to propel us
through the Movement, Foundation and team strategies and goals in the
next
two years. Similarly I am proud of the stands we
take and voices we lend
as
we all work to protect and project freedom, and
the public availability
of
the sum of all knowledge. I hope to help support
that as a volunteer in
whatever way I can.
Thank you,
Wes
Vice President of Product, Wikimedia Foundation
[1]
https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Product/2016_ Product_Summary
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Wikimedia Foundation
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