It's a very sad day at Second Bit HQ. Actually, it's a very sad month at Second Bit HQ, we just haven't gotten around to properly mourning until now. Today, we say goodbye to two of our team members.
We had always known that Dylan was only going to be with us for a short time. He's busily pursuing his undergraduate degree, and only had a single semester to spend with us. We were ecstatic to have him for that long, and he'll be sorely missed.
What I didn't know is that Second Bit would lose my co-founder Tino before we lost Dylan. Tino has been with Second Bit since before the company existed, and he was invaluable to our daily operations. Like all great managers, Tino kept all of the irrelevant details and hoops that needed to be jumped through from distracting anyone else. He acted as an umbrella, sheltering the team from the distractions. He also provided great insight into our projects, and served to ground us when we got too ambitious or drifted too far into Neverland. He leaves behind him a gaping void in the company, and one that will be hard to fill, but he had some amazing opportunities that needed to be taken advantage of. It wouldn't have been right for him to stay, and I'm thrilled he's being put to good use, while still doing what he loves.
To commemorate Tino and Dylan, the work they did, and the impact they had on the company, I've refrained from removing their profiles from the site entirely. Rather, I created a new alumni page that gives credit to the awesome people that helped make Second Bit, but journeyed onwards.
Acknowledging Reality
I was torn about what to do with our footer and the team page. They look so lonely, with just me there. And sadly, this has become a team of one. It all seems a bit awkward when you really think about it; I use "we" when referring to a team of one. There's a company that consists of one person. Initially, I was tempted to try and hide from that.
But that's not what Second Bit is about.
Second Bit is about having the courage to not pretend things are anything but what they are. Second Bit is about being open and honest, about letting sunlight into the places we want to cover up, to heal whatever we're afraid or embarrassed or ashamed of. If I can't openly acknowledge that this is a team of one, a trivial detail that doesn't really matter but seems a little weird, how can I be trusted to nakedly admit that data got compromised, or that we did something wrong, or that we failed? I can't. Openness is not something you can turn on when convenient or when "it matters", because it always matters. You're either open or you're not.
And Second Bit is open. We made that bargain long ago.
Going Forward
What does this all mean? Not much. I'm still going to use "we"; I think it's important to distinguish between my own personal values and the core values I want to ingrain in Second Bit. I'm still going to be working on our various projects, trying to get a release out as soon as possible. I'm still busy with work, and can only devote partial time to these projects, and all our projects are a whole lot of work, so I hope people will bear with me. But I'll still be working on them.
You may see these old friends pop up every now and then. Tino is still the registered agent for Second Bit, for example. Dylan still consults with us on design and user experience. Just because they are no longer formally part of the team does not mean that they no longer impact this company or help out. And I'm grateful for that.
I hope to add at least one other person to the team in the near future, but I don't know who, or how soon, or in what capacity. I'm going to wait for the right person to appear. Someone who loves making things as much as I do, and has the same dedication to openness that I do.
Because, as a company, that's all that is important to us.
