Dave is stepping down next year
This is a joint post by RC’s founders: Nick Bergson-Shilcock, Sonali Sridhar, and David Albert.
Our cofounder, David Albert, will be leaving the company in March of next year. While sad, Dave’s departure is amicable, voluntary, and thoughtfully planned. We all remain good friends and still care deeply about RC.
Read on for details, and why Dave has decided to stop working at RC.
Just the facts
Dave will continue full-time in his current role until early March 2023. After that, he’ll be a (very part-time) contractor for another year. He’ll remain a major shareholder and will remain indefinitely on both RC’s board and our informal advisory board.
Dave’s leaving because the ways in which he wants to grow and contribute no longer align with RC’s needs as an organization. Specifically, he wants to work as a programmer at the edge of one of a handful of specific technical domains, and the problems he wants to work on aren’t ones that matter to RC’s success.
The three of us have tried to come up with a creative solution that would both allow Dave to continue working on RC and let him do the type of work he yearns for. Unfortunately, we don’t see a way to do this, and none of us (especially Dave) is interested in any sort of ceremonial role that isn’t truly valuable to RC. Dave has thought about this for years, and as much as he doesn’t want to leave RC, he knows he’d regret it in a decade if he doesn’t make this change now.
Looking ahead
Dave has had an immeasurable impact on RC, and his legacy and influence here will continue even after he’s left.
While there’s no good time to lose a valued cofounder, Dave’s departure comes at the best possible time. Our team, focus, and prospects for the future have never been stronger, and by sharing this change with so much notice we can ensure a smooth and effective transition.
We are sad to no longer work together every day after so many years of close collaboration. But we are happy to end our work relationships as friends, and we are all extremely optimistic about the future of RC.
Toward that end and lest there be any doubt: Nick (Cofounder and CEO) and Sonali (Cofounder and Head of Recruiting) remain committed to working full-time on RC for the long-term. The challenges and opportunities our company faces in the coming years thankfully align extremely well with the type of work we want to do and the ways Sonali and Nick want to grow.
At RC, we believe in following your curiosity and exercising your volition. Dave’s decision to step down provides a perfect example of both.
Never graduate,
Nick, Sonali, and Dave
P.S. After nearly 13 years of working on the company, Dave plans to take a year off from work and will spend much of that time programming for fun. Expect to see him hanging out and programming at RC a lot next year.
