Some personal news: I’m joining Bloomberg
@technology
later this month! I’ll be doing what I love: working with reporters, shaping stories and, as ever, reading about tech all the time. So very excited to work with
@lynnmdoan
and the rest of the team. Ready to get started!
Some personal news: tomorrow is my last day at Engadget, and the last day for nine of my colleagues. My teammates have been the reason I've stayed with Engadget for 13 years. They are my friends, my family, and I will miss them dearly. It has been a marvelous run.
My last tweet for a while will be some personal news: I had a baby! We’re both doing great, and I’ll now be on maternity leave until early May. The amazing, hardworking Engadget team will be in good hands with
@AaronIsSocial
and
@TerrenceOBrien
. See y’all in the spring!
To its credit, Yahoo has a decent severance program. I'm going to take a breather and in the meantime, would happily recommend each of my teammates who also were laid off today. They are smart, funny, scrappy and hard-working. Hire them.
Until now, it has been a point of pride that I led the team and kept it intact during some very tumultuous times that included several corporate owners, seven GMs, a hiring freeze and one terrible pandemic. I feel sadder for my nine colleagues today than I do myself.
Engadget had a 20th anniversary package almost ready to roll when Yahoo enacted its layoffs last week. I’m glad to see it still running (minus some of the lighter, more snarky pieces); it showcases the talent of the team, past and continuing.
Coming out of Twitter retirement to share some personal news:
Tomorrow will be my last day at
@engadget
.
The site and the amazing people I've had the privilege to work with there have been a big part of my life for the last 13 years and I will miss them all.
Scoop from
@EvanGorelick
: Uber is locking out NYC drivers mid-shift during slower periods to minimize how much idle time they get paid for. Lyft says it plans to follow suit. Drivers are threatening to strike. The companies blame each other, and the TLC.
As you might have heard, several people have been laid off at Engadget. I am one of them, which means my 14+ years of residence at Engadget has come to an end. Such tenure is super rare in this industry, and I'm proud to say that I ended up being the longest-serving writer there.
It’s almost as if editorial teams should be given the space and resources to prioritize interesting reporting instead of be pressured to take suggestions from SEO and commerce directors offering specious advice.
Paths forward: publish stuff that makes readers come directly to platforms you control; depth of engagement and habit matter; reduce churn; niches are your friend; commodity is your enemy; meet people consuming news ambiently where they are and find a way to the above.
Rare tweet to say that
@engadget
has a freelance budget and we want to use it. We're looking to work with seasoned tech writers. Could be news, reviews or buying guides, depending on your expertise/interest:
scoop: Revel is laying off its driver employees and will operate a gig model more akin to Uber. Existing + new drivers can opt to sign on as contractors. The latest pivot shows it's aligning more closely with NYC's electrification mandate.
via
@business