I started at Automattic seven years ago. When I started, there were around 200 total Automatticians. Woo was a separate company. Jetpack had no paid features yet. Tumblr was just acquired by Yahoo. We were still using IRC and Skype. There were twenty people in the design channel.
My first day on the job was at a meetup in Las Vegas. This meetup set the tone for the next seven years. It was a healthy mix of design, friendship, karaoke, and adventure. To this day, I still haven’t been on a meetup quite like Vegas.
It’s nearing the end of 2020 and I can say with confidence that Automattic has grown up. It’s beautiful to see this change in the company. I see roadmaps and clear visions for many of the products with specific goals. I see specialized team working together on products far more complex, both technically and from a feature perspective. For those of you who weren’t around seven years ago, this is a pretty huge and welcome shift and I hope to see it continue.
Over the years, I accrued a wealth of amazing friends and incredible memories. Here are just a few photos of my favorites:
For those of you who would like to stay in touch, please do.
Friday will be my last day. <3
All the best with your next adventure.
Speaking of adventure.. please keep up the regular dose of awesome pics on Instagram 😛
I’ll do my best. Thanks for the encouragement.
It’s been a wild ride. I’ve still got your Vegas intro video somewhere around here…
What happens in Vegas…
<3
Just <3 man.
<3
Gonna miss the shit out of you, dude.
Same, Mel. Same. We’ll stay in touch.
Come again?
Maybe so. Time will tell.
The journey has just begun, my friend.
<3
😭💖🌅☮️🌈
❤️😭
Oh, Michael — I’ll miss you around here! I’ll never forget working with you on the WordCamp SF 2014 logo, still my fave WCSF (dare I say WordCamp?) logo of all time. You’ve always modeled a balance of caring and detachment, which I admire deeply. Thanks for your authenticity and vulnerability, and I hope our paths cross again someday soon.
Thank you, Andrea. It’s one of my favorite logos, too. I hope we meet again.
Ah man, maybe this will mean we’ll actually catch up more often than we have been as coworkers in the same state??
I hope so! You are always welcome up here and I’m usually game to drive down for a good bike ride and a beer.
So sad to see you leave but wishing you tons of success with your next adventure ☺️
Thank you, Mo. I hope to see you again. It’s always a joy.
Michael, we’ve never been lucky enough to work together on something over the last seven years. But, your face is one of the core personalities I associate with Automattic and the Grand Meetup. I will miss your presence at the company, and some day when we are able to reinstate travel, at the GM. All the hugs and all the positive wishes for your next adventure!
Aaron! How have we never worked on something together?! I’ll miss you as well, DJ Tater Tot.
m5l.co/enej – someone had to say it, and I will take the fall.
Look me up if you are ever in Portland!
Or on tumblr: https://photosbyrocco.tumblr.com/
Have some photos: https://cloudup.com/cnUonHc3dzc
WHEN I’m in Portland, I will definitely look you up. Thank you for the photos!
Michael, no!! You have no idea how much I was looking forward to working with you and hanging out at a8c meetups. Looks like I’ll have to settle for continuing to hang out as friends. Pray for fresh pow!
Yeah we’ll def hit the slopes and, when it’s safe to do so, hang out and drink and party, etc.
Dang it Michael.
It has been a pleasure when we have gotten to work together and a pleasure to watch you work. All the best for the future, and I hope our paths will manage to cross in Colorado one of these days.
Thank you, Greg. I hope so, too.
Michael, you were the first Automattician I got to work with when we started chatting about Sensei logo designs. I wish you well with the new adventure. Take care!
Thank you, Dwain. Working with y’all during the GM was a highlight of that week.
It’s been a pleasure!
Keep on rocking, my friend 🤘
You too, Marin. 🤘
I’ll miss you, man. ❤️
Now you’ll have to visit Portugal.
It’s at the top of my list. <3
Oh no 😭
I’ll miss you. In fact, I’ve missed you since you stopped working on the Jetpack plugin a while back.
I’ve learnt a lot from you over the years we’ve worked together. About design obviously, but also about the more difficult art of constantly challenging assumptions, to keep moving in the right direction. Thank you! 🙇♂️
Also, you’re cool. 😎
I hope our paths will cross again some day. Good luck with whatever comes next, I know you’ll rock!
Thank you, Jeremy. I hope to work with you again someday. Or at the very least catch up over some drinks.
I’ll miss you, friend
I’ll miss you, too. We’ll stay in touch.
You rock, no matter where you work!
Thank you, Mikael! You rock!
It was so good getting to know you at Reboot. I’m delighted our paths crossed, and I hope your next adventures are full of good and fun things.
Thank you, Gracie. It was a privilege to meet you. You’re an amazing individual.
We’ll miss you Michael! Did you park your car in the lounge?!?! Epic 😆
I sure did. It was the best parking in town!
Your tinkering has always been inspirational to me. I’ll miss all those lights, electronics, and sounds. I remember that we never made it past the breakwater while kayaking out of Cancun, so I’ll use that as the metaphor for your next adventure. You’re heading out past the breakwater and I’m so excited to hear about what you’ll find!
It was great working with you all these years either indirectly or directly. If I’m ever in the area, I’ll hit you up on Instagram!
Best wishes for your new adventure. 🙂
I can’t imagine a8c without you, but I know you’ll continue to create amazing things wherever you go. Thanks for everything—the warm welcome into Jetpack, the design jam sessions, the Sandbox help, the list goes on.
Hope to see you and K on the slopes this season! Brody also can’t wait to meet Zag 😀
Yo, wtf… I always enjoyed when our paths crossed. Wishing you nothing but the best going forward, Michael!
Hoooooly hell, the end of an era.
Now who will give me shit about making the Jetpack logo blue?
I still can’t believe Georgia went blue before Jetpack.
GOOD
Whew, Michael. I’ve been in denial since seeing this post go up. Thanks for being such a kind and thoughtful coworker often going out of your way to help me (our very first messages over DM are about me asking to chat for help). I think fondly of meeting up with you in CO while house sitting for Beau and when you swung through San Diego! I wish you nothing but the best and see you as a friend. You better expect me to hit you up when COVID subsides and I make the trip to CO!
P.S. I hope you know that you’re the reason I got the Jetpack logo in blue for my anniversary laptop 🙂
P.S.S. Keep your intensity, it’s a wonderful trait of yours.
Will really miss seeing your thoughts at work! I found your way of thinking and solving problems to be inspiring and you were always really kind to me, so thank you for that! I enjoyed the conversations I’ve had with you over the years, and I know you’ll do great things in the future! Looking forward to seeing some more synth pedal craziness 🙂
Thanks for all the awesome petrolhead discussions at the meetups! Wish you all the best in your next adventures. Hopefully, I could come visit you in CO some day!
Michael! Michael! Michael! 💙
I’m gonna miss you around here! Thank you for being a supremely wonderful thoughtful designer-advocate when I was baffled and lost and confused with tiled galleries on my trial – I really appreciated it at the time.
Here’s hoping we cross paths again and can have that electronica jam 🥲👋
I’ll miss looking for your face at the GM to grab a beer and a hug.
WHAAAAT?!?!?! I’m bummed. Although we never really got to work together, I feel like we’ve been on a team together for a while. 🙂 Best of luck, keep rocking it, and take care. Don’t be a stranger, Michael.
Dude… I’d say I’m gonna miss you, but thankfully, you and I transcend this. So many memories. Here’s to the ones we’ll keep making together. <3
I want to say good luck on your next adventure and thank you for all I learned in the short time we contributed together in WP.org. I’ll miss your guidance. Here is to our paths crossing again
I’m bummed man! I’ll miss your posts and thoughts. Best of luck in whatever’s next!