I’ve penned thousands of posts for this site over the years, but this is the hardest one to write. This is my last week as editor-in-chief Lifehacker.
I’ve been staring at a blank screen for 15 minutes, wondering how to possibly put into words everything I feel about this place. I don’t need to talk about how far the site has come over the years, Gina and Pash did a good job of that in their farewell posts. I don’t feel the need to talk about how I went from wide-eyed intern to editor-in-chief, because I’ve talked about that before, and so did my good buddy Adam Dachis—who’s experience strongly mirrored my own.
Instead, I can only attempt to share what this place has done for me, beyond providing the obvious roof over my head and food in my mouth. It taught me how to budget and manage my money. It taught me how to stay productive (hint: it’s not just about getting more done). It taught me how to be mindful of my personal faults and become a more sufferable person. It taught me that I can learn any skill I set my mind to. But most nights, it just taught me that I need to back up my computer and that I should never touch the command prompt after a few beers.
I could list all of my favorite Lifehacker posts here but this would get mighty long. Honestly, peruse the Lifehacker 10th anniversary roundups and you’ll probably start to scratch the surface.
By far, though, the best thing about Lifehacker is the people. Alan, Thorin, Eric, Melanie, Patrick, Kristin, Andy, Dachis, Kevin, Jason, and everyone else who’s worked here over the years—most importantly Adam Pash, to whom I basically owe my entire career thus far—have made it an absolute joy to come into the “office” every day. They’ve challenged me in all the best ways, whether they’re convincing me to let them write about pool noodles or teaching me some hard lessons about my inherent prejudices. I can count on one hand the number of times we’ve hung out in person, yet they’re some of my favorite people in the world.
They’re not the only people that make Lifehacker great, either. Lifehacker wouldn’t be half the site it is today without you, the smart, dedicated, and often hilarious readers that comment here every day. You keep us on our toes, give us new ideas, and call us out when we mess up. And whether you were making me laugh or making me rage-table-flip, the site was often better for it.
But it’s time for me to pass the torch, and return to focusing on my one true love: nerdy tech how-tos. I’ll be taking over as editor-in-chief for our good friends at How-To Geek, expanding their coverage of Windows, Android, home automation, and everything in between. Who knows, maybe I’ll even throw a little Arch Linux in there for you guys.
Gawker has yet to announce my replacement, but until that day comes, Alan Henry will take over as Lifehacker’s interim editor. I’m confident that he and the awesome Lifehacker team will continue to make this one of the best places on the internet, and ensure its position as my go-to place for learning how to be a gosh darn adult. Maybe I’ll even pop in the comments from time to time.
Thanks to everyone who made these last six years awesome. Don’t ever stop geeking to live.