Today I announced my resignation from Factiva. I’ve been contemplating a move for several months now and the starts aligned in such a way to open up a door for me (thanks Mie!) at Six Apart, the folks who put out the software that allows me to create this site. I’ve had a good run with Factiva, starting in 1996 with a stint at Dow Jones based in Tokyo, the birth of a Factiva, relocation to the Princeton headquarters, and a two year run at managing the flagship product, Factiva.com. Everytime things got a little boring, Factiva always managed to find something interesting for me to sink my teeth into. A lot of thinking went into this decision and it’s become clear to me in this process that an incremental change of job title is not enough and it’s really time for me to shift gears and jump into a new company.
I made the decision last night to accept Six Apart’s offer and while waiting for my boss to get off the phone so I could tell him of my decision, I strolled down to the credit union to close my account. I was grilled by the teller there for my reason’s to close down the account:
“Why do you need to close your account?”
“I’m transferring (me not wanting to break the news before telling my boss)”
“A lot of people keep their accounts even if they are located elsewhere”
“I’m, err, actually transferring to another company.”
“That’s ok, you can even get your new company to deposit their paychecks here, I just want to inform you of your options.”
“Um, that’s ok, I’m actually going to be quite far away.”
“That’s not a problem, we have electronic. . .”
“No, really, that’s not necessary. I just want to close out the account. . . ”
“OK then, but you know there’s a $5 charge to close your account. Good luck to you.”
Today was a day of telling selective people the news – after the first few, it became easier and easier to broach the topic. I feel like a skydiver who has just pulled the rip-cord and now am reaching terminal velocity for what I hope will be a safe landing – GERONIMO!
Dear Brother,
First off, congratulations! I know you will be a great asset to the company. This is an exciting space and you belong here. I’m thrilled to get to work with you.
This is quite an amazing new page for me too. Finally, after all these years of you and I flipflopping countries, we’ll live in the same freaking city. Now how cool is that? To Tyler and Julia, I hopefully get to be more than the lady they have to be nice to.
Long ago, you introduced me to the Bay Area and I fell in love. I know you love this area too. I’m honored that I was able to be part of pulling you back here 🙂
love
sis
Well, I’ll be ***** – I always knew I was the last person to depend on for gossip, but you didn’t have to wait till I was in England to drop this bombshell !
I’m sure that this opportunity will be much more stimulating and satisfying for you than what you’ve currently been putting up with, and right up your street, so the very best of luck to you.
Of course, when someone mentioned “What about the Power Outage project ?” this was closely followed by “Quick, DUCK !!!!”
Can’t wait to catch up when you’re back, and wish you ‘Happy Landings’.
CHRIS
Well, we knew you would yank that cord sooner or later – congratulations. We know you’ll love it out there, but will miss having all “close” by.
Love to all,
Dave and Ollie
Just never know what you’ll find out there in the blogosphere, stumbling around.
Wow.
Interesting, yet appropriate way to find out about this.
Best of luck to you. from dj to factiva — we’ve weathered much over the years and you’ve always impressed me with your optimistic and unflappable nature. you’ll be missed.
Enjoy the next step in the journey.
-Ted
Ian: Very sorry to see you go. You're a pro. I've enjoyed working alongside you these past few years, and your dedication and professionalism set an awfully high standard for the rest of us. Your enthusiasm for the next challenge is obvious and I know you'll thrive on the west coast. However … Vic is sometime around mid-October. You'll get the invitation and I expect to see you there. Period. Cheers Matt
Ian
Its been a pleasure working with you. I will miss your dedication to the product and most of all your sense humor! Just let me know when you are CEO. Long live RSS.
best
Mike W
Ian:
Very sorry to see you go. You’re a pro. I’ve enjoyed working alongside you these past few years, and your dedication and professionalism set an awfully high standard for the rest of us. Your enthusiasm for the next challenge is obvious and I know you’ll thrive on the west coast. However …
Vic is sometime around mid-October. You’ll get the invitation and I expect to see you there. Period.
Cheers
Matt
Thank you all – it certainly was not an easy decision to leave such a talented and dedicated group of people. Seven years at Dow Jones and Factiva certainly went by quickly.
“ionic” i am truly sad to see you leave. i have always enjoyed your company, good humor and great, great, contributions. together, with anne mintz, i will shed a tear. ok, i will anyhow.
i wish you and your family all the best. it was tough to read about tyler’s reaction to the “for sale” sign but something tells me he’ll warm to the bay area, it’s not too tough to take!
thank you for your friendship, your assistance whenever asked, and your kind nature. i’ll miss you.
hey, isn’t a $5 fine on a $10 balance usery?
best wishes ian,
peter
Ian,
I was looking for you the other day when I was at Factiva. They said you’ve moved on and I should talk to someone call Morey. Well good luck at that new blogging company.
T