Dear all,
I wanted to let you know that Damon Sicore’s last day with the WMF was June 30th. Damon has served as the Vice President of Engineering and played a role in our strategic thinking as we retool to fulfill our mission of delivering free and open knowledge to the world. We wish him well.
Some of you may have questions about this transition and our plans for Engineering leadership. There’s a small FAQ attached below that should address some of the immediate questions about next steps. While I know you may have additional questions, we can’t share more regarding personnel issues. Thank you for respecting that confidentiality.
~~~~Lila
Q. Why did Damon leave?
Damon’s departure is a personnel issue, so we are not able to comment on it. Thank you for respecting that confidentiality and Damon’s privacy.
Q. Who will manage Engineering and Technology?
Lila and our interim Chief Operating Officer Terry Gilbey will be sharing oversight for the Engineering and Technology teams at the C-level. They'll work closely with the strong leadership of the audience verticals and individual teams. Lila, Terry, Katie Horn, Toby Negrin, Trevor Parscal, Wes Moran, and the C-team are committed to doing our best to minimize disruption to your day-to-day work, and to support you during this transition.
Q. Who will guide Engineering decisions and set goals?
The basic direction for the Engineering team is articulated in their approved Q1 goals. The team will continue to deliver on these commitments. The audience team leads will meet regularly with Lila to ensure that their work remains aligned with the WMF’s technical vision.
Q. What does this mean for the new Engineering and Technology department structure?
The department structures for Engineering and Technology remain the same. The audience verticals reflect the emerging strategy, and we believe they remain the best way to organize the WMF’s teams, based on the work we have ahead of us in the next few years.
Q. Will there be any additional department reorganization as part of this?
We’re not planning any additional organizational changes.
Q. What does this mean for the ongoing CTO search?
We are already underway with the CTO search; this will continue as planned. The CTO role is an important part of executing against the WMF’s engineering strategy. We look forward to bringing on board a new CTO with the leadership, perspective, and skills that the position entails.
Q. Will we recruit for a new Vice President of Engineering? What is the timeline?
Our priority will continue to be filling the CTO role. Once we have identified a CTO we’ll revisit the role of VPE, to ensure that the new CTO’s perspective is taken into consideration.