Dear friends and colleagues, due to the 7% layoffs announced by Cisco at the last earnings call, my current journey has come to an end. I know there’s been talk about people announcing their layoffs and being “grateful,” and of course I’m not grateful for that. What’s been happening to my friends and teammates in the industry is awful, and there’s no getting around that.
But we tend to look for something to appreciate in the midst of a difficult time, and so I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the people who originally got me started at Duo Security in 2016.
When I first saw the Duo UI as an analyst, I was truly impressed, which for a jaded tech veteran is rare. As I got to know Dug Song and Jon Oberheide, I liked their vision, and so I finally asked to be allowed to join them. Many thanks to Ash Devata for taking a chance on me.
Duo turned out to be a startup with a strong vision, a unique voice, an appreciation for the customer, and a nurturing culture. How many times do you see “Be kinder than necessary” as an explicit corporate value, written out for new hires? It taught me what a truly great company can be, and I was proud to be a foot soldier for its mission.
I also want to recognize the highly skilled colleagues who took a chance on me and joined my team: Dave Lewis, Sean Frazier, Richard Archdeacon, Wolfgang Goerlich, and Helen Patton. Each one of them is a leader who brought their own strengths and sense of humor to the party. I remember sitting in meetings with them and thinking, à la Carly Simon, “These are the good old days,” and I was right.
Once you’ve seen how good things can be, you can’t go back. And so I hope to find another home with a similar ethos, so that I can contribute to the mission in whatever way seems best. May you all be as fortunate as I have been.
