As of a few weeks ago, I am between gigs. Riffing on some corporate-speak from a recent press release: “2U and I have mutually determined that 2U is laying me off.”

I feel OK about it: work was becoming increasingly frustrating, and I have some severance pay. 2U is in a tough spot as a company so at least these layoffs seemed like an actual tactic rather than another pointless please-the-investors move by companies flush with profits and cash. 2U struggling also makes being laid off a more appealing option than remaining there after a difficult cut.

edX was a good run for me. We had a noble mission: educate the world. The software was mostly open source (Open edX), which meant our efforts could power education that we as a corporation didn’t want to pursue.

Broadly speaking, my job was to oversee how to do open source well. I loved the mission of education combined with the mission of open source. I loved seeing the community do things together that edX alone could not. I have many good friends at 2U and in the community. I hope they can make everything work out well, and I hope I can do a good job staying in touch with them.

I don’t know what my next gig will be. I like writing software. I like having developers as my customers. I am good at building community both inside and outside of companies. I am good at helping people. I’m interested to hear ideas.