Team News at MaidSafe

[goindeep]

Goodbye and good luck Nick and Pierre, thanks for all your time and efforts and I wish you both all the very best for the future.

I am personally interested in what these “artistic differences” are that led to this but of course that may or may not be a good thing to share publicly. The rumor mill will no doubt have something to leak

Although I come across as a bit of a troll or smart alec who can be critical at times on this forum I am actually a deeply positive person internally and I think that the Universe truly does work in mysterious ways across space and time that we cannot comprehend.
What I mean by that is that sometimes for things to change (launch and uptake of SAFE Network), there needs to be new opportunities and sometimes those new found opportunities comes about with the movement of key personnel that allows these changes to happen like they say when one door closes, another one opens. And that is obviously not to suggest that Nick and Pierre were preventing these changes because it is simply more complex than that.

So with that i’ll take this as an unexpected surprise but ultimately, positive things may be stirring.

[Traktion]

@jeremyjpj0916

Agreed, but hopefully he would not go to a dinosaur like IBM . FAANG would certainly pick him up for six figures though if he is not making that kinda income already . Hope he comes around from time to time to offer suggestions or review some of what MaidSafe cooks out in the PARSEC improvements/ideas. I have enjoyed watching his presentations and interviews, very professional and knowledgeable.

People must remember this - there are companies with much bigger cheque books and reputations who will be looking for experts in this space. Perhaps maidsafe will be consumed by one or maybe some individuals will move to one. There is nothing wrong with either and it is how business works.

[Bogard]

@dirvine

there have been errors, such as we always put our “best” Engineers in management and took them away from what they were great at. The remedy is solid project management and make great Engineers better Engineers, not managers of folks time.

I like this push. Well done. We must play to our strengths, especially in periods of great need like now with Safe being in urgent need of launching.

I also like that you own up to any collective shortcoming as being yours alone. Heavy is the head that wears the crown. Mistakes do happen (we’re all human), but they must be quickly recognized, owned up to, learned from, and left unrepeated.

Also, props to the entire team (those leaving as well as those staying) for keeping the course and working hard despite these distractions. Remember that these things happen at all companies. The best companies thrive in spite of such challenges, not because they haven’t met them. We’re pulling for you.

[nicklambert]

Thanks to everyone for the the comments. It has been a real pleasure to work with you all over the last few years and the hard work, commitment and contribution that many have made really is the oxygen that keeps the team going at times.

As you’ll appreciate deciding to move on has been a very big and difficult decision but one I feel is best for me personally. It has been an interesting and educational journey for sure and I take comfort from the fact that the company/project is in a far stronger position than when I joined. It’s also great to see some of the talent we have given the opportunity to shine and the company will be in capable hands with @dugcampbell and @Nadia joining the board. Both have a diverse range of skills that are well suited to the challenge ahead.

As mentioned in the OP I’ll be around for another couple of months, mostly just to make a nuisance of myself and to hide the keys to the exec washroom!

[m3data]

While it is easy to be concerned with departures like this it is not unusual as project’s move from R&D to production, as others mentioned.

Where are we now (current position)?
Where we are going (vision)?
How do we close the gap and get there (strategy)?
What do we need to do to make it happen (tactics)?
And how do we know we are making progress (metrics)?

Reviews of this stuff at such a crucial juncture always brings up conflict. I know from personal experience strategic direction commonly brings disagreement and tension. Ruthless focus is needed now and any major disagreement on strategy only breeds contagion and detracts from focus.

Appreciate the candidness of the announcement.

@nicklambert thank you for your contributions to this project over the years! I trust whatever you move onto you’ll continue to deliver value.

@pierrechevalier83 while your tenure was short, it brought fervour and rigour to some of the engineering. Thanks for the efforts!

And congrats to @dugcampbell and @Nadia on the transition!

Onwards to Fleming and beyond!

[neo]

@nicklambert

As mentioned in the OP I’ll be around for another couple of months, mostly just to make a nuisance of myself and to hide the keys to the exec washroom!

I remember those wash rooms, except no keys. Boss in the corner office, chief accountant (Manager of all) in middle office and board room in other corner office with washroom door looking like a wall panel just to the side of the “bar”. Much better to use than the building wash rooms as you’d expect from the biggest company in AU. Thats from another time you could say.

@nicklambert, keep hold of those keys and only return them as you leave the building on your last day

Seriously though you will be missed.

[Traktion]

@dirvine

there have been errors, such as we always put our “best” Engineers in management and took them away from what they were great at. The remedy is solid project management and make great Engineers better Engineers, not managers of folks time

I have seen that happen in a lot of businesses and it always struck me as a shame. I met up with an ex-colleague a couple of weeks ago, who had ended up in a similar position and was considering contracting as a way out (and back to the development).

The management track is often the most straightforward route to more money and influence, but is often not what engineers want to do. It is then a tough decision, based on torn priorities and ultimately frustration - from both the reluctant managers and the undervalued engineers.

Obviously, I have no internal knowledge of the team, but on the face of it, this is very positive. Then focus on delivery also provides closure for completed features and a sense of forward momentum for everyone involved. Without these, it is hard to maintain the momentum.

[Nadia]

Thank you to all those who’ve said kind words and offered me good luck in this new role

To echo some of the points above, we (as a company) always need to keep learning from experiences and continue to improve what we do and how we do it. Its how good projects are run, and how we grow as individuals.

I’m sad to see @nicklambert, @pierrechevalier83 and @Viv leave, both because of their skill set but more importantly because I’ve really enjoyed working with them.

One thing that makes them great, is their willingness to always share their knowledge, which means we’ve all learned from them, and we’re stronger because of it.

It reminds me of my favorite quotes: “Lighting someone else’s candle, doesn’t diminish your own flame”

There are many candles in this project, thanks to them.

Right, mushy stuff over from me … back to work.

[neo]

@Nadia

Right, mushy stuff over from me … back to work.

We’ll get the whip out if you’re not careful. Enough of the mushy stuff, musta got that from your stay in NZ, they are a suspicious lot with all their sheep and more of their population in Australia than in their own country.

Just kidding always fun to mock the New Zealanders or anyone who stayed there a while.

Congrats on your promotions through the company though and best of luck in the new role.

[Nadia]

@neo

always fun to mock the New Zealanders or anyone who stayed there a while.

Bring it on @neo with Nick and Viv leaving, I’m going to have to find someone else to give me cheek!!!

[neo]

@Nadia

Bring it on @neo with Nick and Viv leaving, I’m going to have to find someone else to give me cheek!

Is that a challenge? Just you wait till I get back over there!

[Nadia]

[neo]

Just you wait lassie.

[pierrechevalier83]

Thanks to everyone for the kind words This community is really supportive and understanding. It’s a great strength of this project and I’m happy to be a part of it, now and going forward.

Maidsafe has also been a place of growth for me since I joined it. I felt valued and appreciated and had the opportunity to work with absolutely world-class colleagues on delivering progress for a project I deeply care for

I understand the curiosity and desire to understand all the details that motivated my decision. I don’t think we’re being secretive about it. It’s just not that simple, so no reductive explanation could be both accurate and fair to everyone involved. Let me give it a shot anyway

From my point of view, it cannot be reduced to a single factor; but to sum it all up, since @Viv has left his CTO position, I have disagreed with many management decisions which aren’t aligned with my style of leadership, either on the receiving end or on the delivering end when I have to communicate them to my team members.

It’s pretty nuanced: I’ve actually also agreed with many decisions; for instance the move towards more clarity in communications and a more active take on project management are all very welcome from my point of view. For the parts where I’ve disagreed, I am absolutely willing to accept that my own style of doing things may not have been successful in the long run and it is possible that the new things we as a company are trying will increase the prospect of delivery. In fact, I would absolutely welcome this as I truly think that the world needs the SAFE Network and there aren’t many projects in the crypto-space that come even close to that vision.

As the leader of the routing team, though; I feel I would have to be fully onboard on a personal level with the path forward if I was to give convincing leadership to my team members. If I’m second guessing decisions from above every other day, the lack of conviction will transpire to my team and affect the team’s productivity overall.

What lies ahead of us, no-one really knows; but here are a few facts I can share that are very clear from my venture point:

• The technical teams at Maidsafe, and in particular the routing team with which I’ve been working very closely are extremely talented and fully able to deliver the SAFE Network should the circumstances present them with the opportunity
• The project management team is really strong and helping a lot with giving clarity on the path forward internally or externally
• @dugcampbell and @Nadia are extremely valuable members of the company and will be kicking as*es in their new respective positions
• This community is highly committed and supportive and is one of the project’s best assets

Altogether, we’ve got many ingredients for success here, and with a certain measure of luck that all startups need, the road ahead may be bright

I was a big fan of the SAFE Network project and vision long before joining Maidsafe, and I have a lot of respect for @dirvine for starting this project so long ago and holding to the vision and values since then.

Sorry if this isn’t a particularly crusty account of the situation or anything… Just being honest and not lingering on details that are not particularly relevant or well suited for public consumption.

Wishing all the best to the project, the team and the community for the path forward, and looking forward to once again becoming a SAFE Network cheerleader like many of this forum members are

[Traktion]

That’s a perfectly measured response, imo. You are a credit to yourself and those you work with.

[MaidSafeMan]

Seems like lot of people from the beginning are living since few weeks :(.

[happybeing]

Only Viv and Nick were there in 2014, so that makes two out of about forty.

[MaidSafeMan]

The team was counting forty people in 2014? Sad news anyways. All the best to @nicklambert and @pierrechevalier83.

Some days I am very excited for this project and some other days I am really demotivated. This is the difficult part when you follow a project closer. I can’t imagine the feeling of the people who are supporting Maidsafe since 5-6 years.

[Dimitar]

There is one very important rule in life … Think only of things you can do something about.

Here is an extreme example. We will all die. Can you do something about it? No. Do not think of it then.

Can you help for a new SAFE world? Everyone can. Think then how.

[JPL]

@MaidSafeMan

I can’t imagine the feeling of the people who are supporting Maidsafe since 5-6 years.

It helps if you’re a bit strange