Each ending is a brand new starting — Matt Wynne
Effectively, that is new.
After ten years building a company across the Cucumber open supply mission, I instantly discover myself out of a job.
I used to be laid off final Friday by SmartBear, who in June 2019 acquired the corporate I co-founded again in August 2013. It’s no secret that I had not too long ago been involved in a research project to find out Cucumber’s future path at SmartBear. Because the final remaining worker fortunate sufficient to be paid to work on the open supply mission full-time, I suppose the powers that be had already made their minds up about what the result of that analysis can be.
I figured we could be within the end-game, however I hadn’t anticipated it to return round so instantly.
Practicalities
I used to be really on trip, with no web, whereas all this occurred final week, so I used to be not ready. I’ve misplaced entry to my matt@cucumber.io electronic mail deal with, which means there are numerous providers (like Cucumber’s group Slack) that I can’t signal into with my regular account. My GitHub notifications for the Cucumber mission had been additionally going into that inbox too.
So should you’ve written to me at that electronic mail deal with, otherwise you’ve pinged me in GitHub or Slack and haven’t acquired a response, that’s the explanation why.
Wow. Are you OK?
Emotionally, I’m OK; thanks for asking ????
Whereas it’s been attention-grabbing, from an anthropological standpoint, to spend a lot time on the within of a private-equity backed US firm, the tradition didn’t swimsuit me effectively I’m fairly relieved—even excited—to be out. I additionally did numerous grieving across the time of the acquisition, and I’ve so much much less attachment to the Cucumber mission or my function in it than I used to.
Nonetheless, I really feel a way of duty in direction of it, and I maintain quite a lot of respect and affection for the volunteer members of the group who put a lot of their free time into nurturing the mission.
I’m not taking this personally. SmartBear has grown considerably since we had been acquired in 2019, and the size of their ambitions has grown too. Though our analysis confirmed there’s a marketplace for industrial instruments constructed for the Cucumber viewers, that market most likely simply isn’t large enough for a corporation like SmartBear. There’s no compelling motive for them to proceed sponsoring an open supply mission that doesn’t instantly contribute to the underside line.
I’m optimistic that SmartBear can have the nice sense to keep away from doing a Hudson, and I’ll do what I can to attempt to be sure that belongings such because the area, logos, training videos, reports service and so forth will likely be transferred into group possession sooner or later. I’ve had some constructive conversations with senior SmartBear executives about this earlier than I left, and have had some reassuring indicators since as effectively. So I’m hopeful, however we’ll see.
Nonetheless, with no vital industrial sponsor, the way forward for the mission is unsure proper now. Would your organization wish to step in and help?
What are you going to do now?
Nearly fifteen years since my first commit to Cucumber, I need to take some house to contemplate what the subsequent chapter of my work-life will appear to be; to determine what’s vital.
Should you’ll indulge me, I could also be utilizing this new weblog to assume out loud about that slightly. It makes use of the write.as service, which I quite like thus far.
I’m going to attempt to maintain the laptop computer closed as a lot as attainable for the subsequent few weeks, however I’d like to hear from you, whether or not you assume you have got an attention-grabbing work alternative for me, or simply need to say hello.
Within the brief time period, I’m concerned with offering distant teaching to groups in and across the Pacific timezone (I’m primarily based on BC, Canada) who need to apply abilities like ensemble programming, test-driven growth (TDD), domain-driven design and continuous delivery to attention-grabbing and worthwhile issues.
If you wish to chat, you’ll be able to attain me at @mattwynne@hachyderm.io or grab some time in my calendar.