Evan Williams on leaving Twitter • Hacker News Board

Re: Evan Williams on leaving Twitter

#31

Post by j_baker » Wed, Mar 30, 2011, 1:35 AM UTC

far33d wrote: post #21

I'm likely to be on the wrong side of this argument, but part of my gets upset every time I hear about a founder leaving their fast-growing company. Great companies are built by the kinds of founders who don't just want to start something, they want to build and scale it into something world-changing. Imagine Mark Zuckerberg leaving FB to "start something new". Imagine Bill Gates leaving MSFT early on to "experiment…

Why does this make you upset?

I've noticed that few people can be both a "starter" and a "maintainer". And even fewer actually enjoy it. There's a reason why only the really big names stay on for so long.

The people who start the company usually get bored when it comes time to go into stabilization mode. The people who maintain the company once it has stabilized usually don't like the uncertainty that comes with building a new idea.

In short, I don't think there's any reason to lament the new way of doing things. It's better for the company and it's better for the founders.

Re: Evan Williams on leaving Twitter

#32

Post by portman » Wed, Mar 30, 2011, 1:35 AM UTC

staunch wrote: post #12

Blogger supported 1400 characters. Twitter supported 140 characters. –––––er will support 14 characters. Can't wait for the release!

We made Squeaker about 18 months ago. Must be exactly 14 characters!

http://squeakertime.com

Re: Evan Williams on leaving Twitter

#33

Post by Herwig » Wed, Mar 30, 2011, 1:45 AM UTC

marcamillion wrote: post #2

This is why I love this industry. This guy has created two groundbreaking/historic companies in a decade and now he is stepping up to bat for #3. I don't know if he will succeed on the next one, or even on the one after that - but I do know that I wouldn't bet against him. Love/Hate Twitter, have to respect @ev for his contribution to communication, the development of Rails and the evolution of the industry. Look for…

I hate to see EV continue to use the word luck because it makes me think that he just happened to be there and didn't really do anything. He needs to step up and take credit. Hopefully in #3 he can do that. "Once your lucky, twice your good" (Book title of Sarah Lacy's book about silicon valley's rise)

Re: Evan Williams on leaving Twitter

#34

Post by niketdesai » Wed, Mar 30, 2011, 2:31 AM UTC

It's pretty amazing to be part of two incredibly successful companies. If anything this is simply proof that you can get it done.

I'm sure it's tough to maintain control when companies become (or are acquired into) behemoths. I can't imagine all of the emotional turmoil being successful in entrepreneurial adventures can be in comparison to failure, quite frankly.

He can walk away knowing that he was at the VERY least part of game changing contributions to the world. And that's pretty neat no matter what he decides to do next.

And they say...3rd time is the charm.

Re: Evan Williams on leaving Twitter

#35

Post by jerf » Wed, Mar 30, 2011, 2:33 AM UTC

ohkine wrote: post #22

> After stepping down from CEO six months ago, my mind started to wander. The reason I left Blogger/Google when I did is that I felt it had reached a place where it was on solid ground and in capable hands (at the time, Jason Goldman’s as product manager). Though still an independent company, I realized Twitter may be at a similar point today. Do people really mean it when they say this, or is it just a thing to say,…

The term "serial entrepreneur" is in common use around here and definitely describes a certain class of people. While you may be right, this is one case where you may be wrong. Unlike politicians leaving to "spend more time with family".

Re: Evan Williams on leaving Twitter

#36

Post by d2 » Wed, Mar 30, 2011, 2:40 AM UTC

It's been 5 years and 8 days since work on Twitter started on March 21, 2006. Several other founding employees will be fully vested by now, so I'd expect a few more departures, particularly now that Ev has made it OK to leave.

Re: Evan Williams on leaving Twitter

#37

Post by jbrennan » Wed, Mar 30, 2011, 2:44 AM UTC

fuzzythinker wrote: post #26

far33d wrote: post #21

I'm likely to be on the wrong side of this argument, but part of my gets upset every time I hear about a founder leaving their fast-growing company. Great companies are built by the kinds of founders who don't just want to start something, they want to build and scale it into something world-changing. Imagine Mark Zuckerberg leaving FB to "start something new". Imagine Bill Gates leaving MSFT early on to "experiment…

Different people, different strokes. What is wrong with that? I also wouldn't put Mark Zuckerberg in the "class" of entrepreneurs you mentioned. If anything, he is a counter example to your argument.

Could you expand on why Mark Zuckerberg is not in the same "class" as the others? I'm not sure what makes him so different in the example, other than Facebook is not yet so old as the other companies.

Re: Evan Williams on leaving Twitter

#38

Post by dmoney » Wed, Mar 30, 2011, 2:46 AM UTC

gromy wrote: post #13

Any bets on what Ev will work on next?

Megablogging. No post can have fewer than 140,000 characters.

Re: Evan Williams on leaving Twitter

#39

Post by randall » Wed, Mar 30, 2011, 2:54 AM UTC

qq66 wrote: post #24

far33d wrote: post #21

I'm likely to be on the wrong side of this argument, but part of my gets upset every time I hear about a founder leaving their fast-growing company. Great companies are built by the kinds of founders who don't just want to start something, they want to build and scale it into something world-changing. Imagine Mark Zuckerberg leaving FB to "start something new". Imagine Bill Gates leaving MSFT early on to "experiment…

It's clear that there have been a lot of power struggles at Twitter. It's not clear how much of this departure is voluntary (i.e., the departure itself may be voluntary, but the conditions leading to it might have been a loss of control). Finally, great companies have been built without their founders. Cisco and Intel lost/forced out their founders relatively early.

Plus, the original "spiritual" founder, Dorsey, is back. It's not like the suits totally won or something.

Re: Evan Williams on leaving Twitter

#40

Post by nikcub » Wed, Mar 30, 2011, 3:09 AM UTC

gromy wrote: post #13

Any bets on what Ev will work on next?

No idea what it will be when he starts it, it almost doesn't matter - but by the time he is done it will probably be awesome.

Guys like Ev just need to start with something, they are adaptable enough to find what works. Put him in a room with a dozen people, $5M and let it simmer for a few years.