One of the constants in the technology industry is change. This hasn’t always been the case, and there are some notable exceptions to that rule, but these days it seems that tenure is measured more often in months than in years. James and I are positively ancient, having been doing the RedMonk thing for almost four years now.
But this week, changes have come home to two individuals that I both know and have a lot of respect for.
- First, we have Alex King, late of FeedLounge (my current aggregator of choice), and now back on his own. I don’t know what Alex’s plans are quite yet, but I’ll just say that I have a lot of admiration for what he and Scott built in FeedLounge, and will be watching his next moves closely. You might want to as well.
As for FeedLounge itself, I’m in wait and see mode. I’ll continue with it as my primary reader for the near term, but keep an eye on alternatives in the event that it can’t be worked out (couldn’t adjust to BlogBridge, and I’m really reluctant to go back to Bloglines).
- Second, everyone’s favorite industry analyst Brenda Michelson has decided to embark on a solo career, leaving the Seybold group behind. I haven’t yet connected with her while here in Maine, though we’re supposed to have lunch next week, and I’ll look forward to getting all the details then.
What I can say in the meantime, however, is that Brenda knows her stuff cold, and more importantly gets the importance of openness and transparency as much we do. An architect by trade and training, I’m sure she will not want for lack of work, and I look forward to working with Elemental Links going forward – maybe even as an “ecosystem affiliate.”
I never quite know how to feel about news like this. Maybe it’s just that I have a Walter Matthau attitude towards change, but there’s always a bit of apprehension from me when I see friends change careers or directions. Until I consider the possibilities those new paths open up, at which point I’m excited again. Yes, I was bummed when Jeff announced his departure from Canonical, but then I began to think about what he’d be up to next and thought “maybe it’s something really cool that I don’t even know about.” And so it goes here.
Best of luck to Alex and Brenda.
