Wow. I really didn’t expect my post about being fired from AWS to get as much traction as it did, but verklempt doesn’t even begin to describe my feelings. The outpouring of support on LinkedIn was humbling, and the fact someone posted it on Hacker News and that it hit number one, however briefly, allowed me to check off a bucket list item. I don’t have a screenshot of that but I do have the email from my hosting provider warning me about a spike in traffic. (grin)

I didn’t even really want to write that post, but my mild OCD wouldn’t let me skip it since I did a two year and a three year anniversary post. Gotta be consistent.

This post I did want to write as I want to send a public “thank you” to many of the people I met and worked with during my four years at Amazon. I am certain to miss people on this list, and for that I want to apologize in advance. As you can imagine this past week has been a bit crazy, but I wanted to get this out on my last day.

The thumbnail picture for this was taken in the Spheres of the happiest orchid on the planet.

I’m not getting through this dry-eyed, so tissues are in hand (and yes, I realize what I wrote, there).

Spot Callaway: After being acquainted for nearly two decades, it was wonderful to move from that relationship to friendship over these last four years. You are an amazing human being, and I wonder what my last year at AWS would have been like had you been promoted to replace David Nalley as our manager. The fact that you aren’t at least Sr. Principal is a travesty, as they don’t know how lucky they are to have you. We live a bit farther apart than we used to, but I hope to see you in person as frequently as possible in the future.

Rich Bowen: There have been many times that I’ve wished I were you. You are the most centered person I’ve ever met. Nothing seems to make you mad, and in four years I can’t remember ever seeing you angry. It’s like you in a rage equates to me being mildly peeved. You do great work without it ever negatively impacting your mood or health, and as a lapsed Taoist I can do nothing but admire your attitude. So happy to have met you through this job.

Libby Clark: I was always a bit jealous that you got to join our team a couple of weeks before I did. This meant you got to go to Spain, but then you also had a ringside seat to the “tuna burger incident”. You were an solid manager and will make a wonderful strategist. Promoting you this year was one thing AWS got right.

Ashley Bonikowsky (Sametz): Oh wow, what can I say? It was so cool to meet someone who was both comfortable in tech but also had a keen interest in law enforcement, and my main regret is that you left before I had a chance to know you better. You did name by dog, Atlas, so you will always be in my thoughts.

David Nalley: You got me into this mess, and for that I’ll be forever grateful. I learned so much from you at a time in my life when I thought I might be past learning. You made me think critically about things in new ways. You made me a better person. Not to say OSSM got worse when we started to grow (that is demonstrably false), but when it was just the six of us, I felt so comfortable, and we were so determined to change the world, that I was certain we could.

Leah Bibbo: I don’t think we’ve said more than a couple of sentences to each other in person, so you may be wondering why are you on this list. When our team reported to you, I learned so much about marketing. As a tech person, there is a tendency to view marketing as simply making pretty logos or nifty catch phrases. You taught me that marketing is messaging, and messaging literally defines a company’s identity. I will use those lessons for the rest of my professional life.

Sirish Chandrasekaren: Now that I no longer work with you, I can admit that you are kind of scary (grin). Rarely have I seen anyone more focused than you, and you were a role model to me on what it meant to be an Amazonian. You demanded the best out of the people you worked with and demanded the best of yourself. You were the main reason that even when times got tough at AWS I never forgot my professionalism and my dedication to helping customers, and I thank you for that.

Megan Knight: It was always cool to have you be “OSSM adjacent” and I was so excited when you formally joined our team … and then you left (grin). As I expected, you have been incredible in your current role, and I am always amazed at the energy you bring to every endeavor. While I haven’t seen you in person in ages, expect me to text every time I’m at O’Hare.

Kyle Davis: When I met you at FOSS Backstage, you were the only AWS presenter who didn’t work in OSSM. Glad we fixed that. Your work on Valkey has been an inspiration, and it was so cool to have you on the team. I hope we get to work together again soon.

Mila Zhou: One thing I’ll remember about you is your singing voice. Back when we used to do karaoke I always looked forward your turn at the mic. You usually sang in Chinese, so perhaps all you were singing about is what you had for breakfast, but it was still beautiful. I was so impressed at how you took ownership of our credits program, providing resources to open source projects who could definitely use them, and I wasn’t surprised to see you get promoted during my tenure at AWS.

Lahari Chowtoori: With all this talk about how AI will destroy junior level roles, I think of you as a perfect example of why that will be a travesty. You came to AWS pretty soon after university, and it was so much fun to watch how quickly you grew into the role. From attending your early presentations to watching you, now, own the stage, I expect great things from you in the future. Plus, you were the only person in four years who, after spending time with me on the forced “people you should meet” new hire call, asked for more time. It was flattering and I thank you for it.

Nigel Brown: We didn’t get to work too closely together, but I always saw in you a kindred spirit. Your love of music was part of it, and I always looked forward to your Music Monday posts on Slack. The next time I am in Austin I expect to be exposed to both good food and good music, and as always, with you I’ll be in good company.

Pratik Bundela: For someone focused so much on numbers, you were really fun to be around (grin). Back when AWS used to be data driven, you were key to helping us justify our existence, proving that being involved in open source was simply good for business. It was no surprise to me to watch your career grow, and I hope our paths cross again soon.

Ian Carter: Our paths didn’t cross very much, but I definitely appreciated your help with this year’s Monki Gras sponsorship. You really knew how to navigate those internal AWS systems to make sure everything went smoothly. I also enjoyed the time we got to spend together at All Things AI.

Jennifer Way: We usually interacted mainly at events, and you were often in the audience for my talks. While I really enjoy public speaking, it is always nice to see a friendly face and to know they have your back. You don’t realize it, but you often gave me a compliment in person or a pat on the back via Slack when I most needed it, and it was appreciated. Plus I’ll miss our snark when discussing S-Team fashion on all-hands calls (Thom Browne, it’s always Thom Browne).

Julia Ferraioli: When AI started to become a thing, you were a welcome addition to our little strategy team, as we were pretty much clueless. As a Bayesian networks kind of guy, I also respected your knowledge of the “pre-GenAI” tech as well as the current trends, and your focus on applying it correctly to solving customer problems and not just producing hype. You also made me think more deeply about the human side of open source, and in doing so made better at my job.

Rob Rojas: It was nice to have another member of the team in North Carolina, although since I moved farther away from Raleigh than I could easily commute, we were more likely to cross paths in other cities. You had been at AWS longer than I had, so it was nice to get your insight on things from someone who had seen a lot more of the company than me.

Hannah Aubry: Our time together was so short, but you inspired me when you left AWS to go to Mastodon. While I enjoyed working in open source at AWS, it is quite removed from my roots, and seeing you leave to work on one of the most important open source projects out there today planted the seed that I, too, wanted to return to something more in the open source trenches.

Madelyn Olson: The memory I will never forget is you taking the stage with Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” as your walk-on music when you were announcing the new Valkey roadmap. I loved it when we ended up at the same events, and I especially enjoyed hanging out with you at Monki Gras. You are a very special person and I hope we can stay in touch.

Paloma Gragera Ariño: We first met when we were teammates in that exercise at last year’s DevEx meeting in May, and it was nice to cross paths again at re:Invent. Of course, the rodeo was the best part of that trip (grin) and I still disagree with you that Madrid is cooler than Barcelona (Barcelona has both mountains and a beach). If I ever make it back to Madrid, I hope you will continue to try to prove me wrong and show me some of your beautiful city.

Ricardo Sueiras: DJ Tastee Taste! You left AWS without ever spinning at a corporate all-hands and that was a crime. If I had to point to one thing I cherish from my four years at AWS, it would be having you as a friend. Inviting me to your house for a proper Sunday roast was a highlight, as well as showing me around your town. I know we will meet again; I hope soon.

Farrah Campbell: You are the most honest person I have ever met, and I knew I could always come to you for the straight dope. Your ability to build relationships makes my meager talents look like I’ve lived as a hermit in a cave for the past 30 years. I hope we will stay in touch, and perhaps we can get the gang back together in London some time soon.

Brooke Jamieson: My favorite Aussie New Yorker, you have this knack for planting things in my brain about AWS that I don’t even remember learning from you. You have always been a huge talent in Developer Experience and I am glad that you are starting to get recognized for it. I’m eager to follow your future success.

Darko Mesaroš: I knew I had found a brother in that, not only do we share in those Eastern European good looks, we both like old tech (although, if I’m being honest, for me it was “new” tech, once). I didn’t get to work with you enough, so the times we could hang out together were precious to me. You are very talented, and I always did a little cheer when you would show up unexpectedly in training videos. I knew I was actually going to learn something.

Kris Freedain: In a prior life I could not get away from Portland, Oregon, and I would visit many times in a given year. Now that I have another friend there, I never go (sigh). I still appreciate your “coming home” pictures with the iconic PDX floor pattern, and I loved hanging out with you at conferences. OpenSearch has really gained traction over the last year, and we have you to thank for that.

Nithya Ruff: Even though you ran the OSPO and I worked in OSSM, it was great when our teams would interact. Your leaving AWS was a blow, and it was then that I was sure my days were numbered as well. It was nice seeing you at the Open Source Founders Summit. We both care deeply about open source and, also being in North Carolina, means that we should meet again.

Beth Bickett: I have never been a fan of salespeople. You know the type “what can I do to get you to drive off in the solution today?”. But you demonstrated that the way to being a successful account manager was caring deeply about your customers. In my old company I wrote up our mission statement as “Help Customers - Have Fun - Make Money” in that order. You showed that helping your customers meet their goals and having fun doing it would result in money. I loved working with your clients because they, more than others, always seemed to have a positive attitude toward AWS. You were responsible for that and I wish you even greater success in the years to come.

Laura Tacho: Okay, so pretty much the only time we met in person was that breakfast we had in the hotel just before Monki Gras, but you still made the list. Bringing you on at AWS in our Developer Experience team was a great hire, as you really can separate the AI hype from the reality. We all know (well, most of us), that the current exuberance around GenAI can’t last, but we also all know (well, again, most of us) that something will survive into the future. I look to you to show me what that will be.

Julian Wood: I saved the best for last, and not just because your last name begins with a “W” (outside of the first few names on this post, the order is truly random). I so enjoyed hanging out with you in London, and especially the conversations we had on life, the universe and everything at Without Papers. So remember, it’s your own fault when I pester you the next time I’m in the UK.

There are so many more people who made an impact on me during my time at AWS. There are the rest of the folks in OSSM (Kristi Tan, Dotan Horovits, Mani Tuteja, Colleen Coll, and Jen Madriaga). There is the database team (Jignesh Shah, Joe Conway, and others) and the rest of the folks in Developer Experience, plus the folks on the “cabal” call (msw, Henri Yandell, Peter Schmiedeskamp, Kelsey Blodgett).

These people truly demonstrate customer obsession, and AWS owes much of its success to them. They are not “fungible”.

As someone who collects memories, my time at AWS has produced some amazing ones, and that was all due to the people I met.