My job is done

When does one know it’s over? That your job is done? Over the last couple of years, I’ve slowly been realising that it was time for me to depart from the Umbraco that I love. However, I’ve been much slower at accepting it.

I started Umbraco twenty years ago with the mission of democratizing building websites - what you would call democratizing building digital business nowadays. The space was crowded with systems that were hard to use and harder to pay. I dreamed of a place for CMS with less high prices than more high fives.

As time went on, parts of the mission started to succeed. What was a naïve dream, started to become a reality. Very, very slowly and very, very buggy. So slowly and so difficult that my eyes and mind always ended up being a couple of years ahead, rather than enjoying what was happening right around me.

Then things started to accelerate. A community grew, a company happened and it’s been a huge part of me and my life, with all its highs and lows. Luckily, mostly the first. The thrill and privilege of seeing people much smarter than me join the community, the project and the company has been an honor. 

At times, I didn’t realize and appreciate it enough. But at every Umbraco CodeGarden it was like I finally dared to take it in. How happy it made me to see the smiles of people coming together. How proud I was when our employees presented their ideas. The butterflies I felt when talks between people became the sparks of our future.

Now, all of this can happen on its own. That’s the legacy I want to leave behind: Bringing friendly people together in a community that respects each other's differences can create something special. When you combine it with an organization that is open to ideas and creates an environment where we can trust one another you get something magical. The times when we - the Umbraco community, project and company - have succeeded in doing that together, we’ve created the very success that Umbraco has become today.

My job is done. Thank you for the ride, everyone. It’s been an honor and a privilege. 

Godspeed, Umbraco. 

#h5yr