On Careers and Keynotes

I didn’t intend to make a post about this topic. 

Like a Mac mini in the data center, I’ve always just tried to be consistent and reliable but mostly do my work out of the spotlight. I anticipated the finish would be much the same way. 

However, I get mentioned online and contacted privately often enough that I should probably say something publicly. I figured this flight back to Las Vegas is as good a time as any…

On Careers

After eighteen years of working in and pushing forward Mac hosting, I finished up with that line of work earlier this Summer.

Data center full of Macs taken in 2006

First it was growing and eventually selling Macminicolo. Those were great years during which I met many, many good people that remain cherished friends. (And many of you have gone on to do amazing things. Thank you for taking me along for the ride.)

Then it was merging with and elevating MacStadium, a company that is now the go-to place for Mac hosting. It is also a place full of good people. I remain a friend of and an investor in the company. 

After all of these years, it was just time to take a break and try something new. I’m not sure where it will be. That’s part of the fun. 

In fact, stepping away and becoming officially “available” has opened up all sorts of opportunities that would not have come otherwise. It’s the scary leap of faith that has paid off. If you have a project or opportunity you’d like to talk about, feel free to contact me.

I suppose that’s enough on this topic but stay with me for one observation. 

On Keynotes

For two decades I have anticipated and enjoyed Apple keynotes, conferences, and events. From early Macworld days to “online only” events, it’s always amazing to see the products and announcements that are revealed. 

There are a few different types of event watchers and I’ve been all of them:

  1. Developers or product teams who watch to see how busy the next few months will be as they integrate new features and products.
  2. Entrepreneurs of all sorts who worry about being Sherlocked or, even worse, they find that their product is no longer useful or even possible.
  3. Journalists and writers who know that the day of the event and the week following will be filled with writing posts, podcasts, and tweets. This will be exciting but require long hours.

I’ve been all three of these people at different times and sometimes concurrently. 

I’m happy to report there is actually a fourth person that I have long forgotten. Someone who watches the keynote to admire and enjoy all of the great work coming out of Cupertino and…that’s it.

This year for WWDC 2023, I watched the keynote from an Airbnb in the Swiss Alps, closed the iPad, and went for a walk down the rivers of Interlaken with my family. It was fantastic.

Of course I spent the next few days on trains and planes learning about all the fun announcement details. I still enjoy all of it quite a bit. But it just feels different when you’re participating solely for the enjoyment of it.

Conclusion

Thanks for reading and for caring about the work I’ve done over the years. Whatever happens next for me will happen here so watch for updates.