Startups are messy – stay classy

“With regret, I am announcing that I have resigned my position as SVP of Search at Indexr.ai. I sincerely wish the team all the best in pursuing their current goals. The path I wish to follow is simply different and so we diverge. No drama; all respect.”

That’s the tweet I shared earlier today announcing my separation from the company I was working with. Less than 280 characters to try to capture the emotion, deep thoughts and energy of being part of an early stage startup that had real plans.

Really, though, they still have real plans, I just won’t be part of executing them moving forward. I do sincerely hope they realize their goals for the simple fact that some of those I leave behind are friends, and others have become friends over the last 8 months. So of course I want them to succeed.

But over time, you see the original plans and you examine them in different lights. They move and morph slightly depending on that light, but the bottom line is life makes you see things from different angles. And that forces you to make decisions about your own goals and your own time.

After 8 months of following the path I originally thought was an obvious one for me, I’ve come to realize that while the path may be viable (you can build that business, you can make the money), it’s not entirely aligned with my own goals and how I value my time. I have no interest in dissing anyone else’s direction, but I have a great interest in focusing on what matters to me personally. Pretty sure most of us can say this.

Even the closest of friends drift over time. You start a journey side by side, but over time realize that the .25 degree separation at origin, after many miles, sees you looking in different directions. No faults, however, as this is simply part of the normal human experience of life.

If you’re here looking for gossip, or hoping I’ll spill the tea, you’ll be disappointment.

Yes, there were arguments. Yes we had different thoughts and ideas. Yes, we enjoyed many laughs together and had more than our fair share of “ah ha” moments. In that sense, my experience with the team was as normal as so many others. I have always been the type of person who is OK on his own, so when I hit a moment of reflection and determine it’s time for a different path in my life, I make the choice and move forward. I did this with my career at Caesar’s Palace casinos, with my career at Microsoft, at Bruce Clay and again now with Indexr.

What’s next? Well, that’s not entirely clear. I’m factually unemployed now, but I have opportunities and I’ll also seek to make opportunities, as is my nature. I have no regrets having been part of the Indexr/OpenWeb/MONI team. I learned lots, I did my best to contribute and we did make a kick-a$$ product on the Pulsewire side of the business (MyPressAlert.com).

Regardless of where I go next, I’m counting on it being an engaging and exciting opportunity!