On Departure

Sat, 20 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

This is a personal update.

What’s going on?

On May 11, 2023, I unexpectedly left my job at AWS. I didn’t have a say in the matter; I have negative feelings about the event and will leave it at that. This post will run a bit long — it’s a way to get my feelings out and clarify where I am right now.

Leaving AWS felt like a bad, unexpected breakup, where your partner says, “Look — it’s not working out. You have to leave. And we’re keeping the couch.” I stayed with Amazon for almost 11 years and built a significant fraction of my identity around my job — I was proud to tell people about my work in AWS’s Security Outreach team, work with some of the best security researchers in the world, and build New Shinies to help my team be excellent. That part of me has been yanked away without warning, and filling the gap has been challenging. I’m now without income and work authorization in the USA, and the last three weeks have been the most anxiety-provoking of my life.

Ramblings on plygrnd

On Departure

What’s going on?