Announcing the acquisition of Blue Box by IBM in June of 2015 was one of the most exhilarating days of my professional career. The culmination of more than a decade of effort, the moment was chock full of grand plans and unparalleled excitement ruled the day. But, as nineteenth-century Prussian military commander Helmuth van Moltke said, ‘No plan survives first contact with the enemy.’ (Mike Tyson observed the same sentiment in more colorful terms.)
The ‘enemy’ in either of these imperfect analogies was a gumbo of market dynamics, technology shifts, competitive positioning, combined with a lack of consensus on how to respond.
Plans change as they always do and new opportunities reveal themselves. That’s where we are, today, January 1, 2018. I’ve had two jobs in my adult life, and today is my first day of not being employed by either Blue Box or IBM.
My time at IBM provided me with an invaluable education, both in business at the literal largest of scales and in the interpersonal dynamics of these large organizations. Throughout it all I was surrounded by an an extraordinary supporting cast of professionals and friends — those I will carry unmatched appreciation for throughout the rest of my life. I wrote about many of them in this Medium post from when our team won the GeekWire award for Deal of the Year in 2016 — check it out. So while I’m moving on to the next challenge, I’ll take many of those lessons.
So what’s next?
I’ve had the opportunity to spend a good portion of the last year focused on cryptocurrency, and I’ve become absolutely engrossed. This technology has captured my imagination in a way I’ve only felt once before in my professional career, more than two decades ago. This is a world where established functional technology exists and the world is collectively working to determine what’s next. There exists a world of possibility for those ready to dive into the uncertainty. This is the wild west.
I’m thrilled to announce that I’ll be launching a new company in the beginning of 2018 — one focused within the investments world of cryptocurrencies. I’m not yet ready to share all the details publicly — that’s coming soon. And soon can’t get here soon enough.
They say it’s a good sign when your work energizes you, when you wake up excited to start the day and when you derive happiness from your professional endeavors. I couldn’t be more thrilled to be back in that world.
If you’re interested in what I’m working on next, follow me on Twitter. I’ll be posting updates there throughout January.