tl;dr in bold for your skimming pleasure.
Mozilla has been there for me for a long time.
I’ve used the browser on every machine I’ve had since it came out, even back before it was called Firefox. I’m a fan; I’m a lifer. I’ve used it on everything from Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, Solaris, IRIX, Windows, to OS X. You may not think of it this way, but it has lead to a lot of development in my career. By having the option to use whichever OS I wanted to use on my desktop, I was able to get far more into the inner workings of it. Without a graphical web browser (no offense lynx!) I wouldn’t have been able to do that. It is safe to say that throughout the years Mozilla has helped to build my career; if it wasn’t for the work that Mozilla has done, I would not have been able to become who I am professionally. Mozilla gave me a choice in more than just a web browser; it opened up a window for me to pursue a better life.
>>FFW 10 years.
When I was hired at Mozilla I found more than a job.
Through several life-changing events, you’ve been there for me and have been a constant support. A few weeks after starting work at Mozilla I lost my dad. It was hard, but I found some solace in that he knew that his son had landed his dream job before he had passed on. In November of 2012, my wife Melissa and I had our son Emmett, and Mozilla let me work remotely so that I could have the support of my family in raising him. When we lost my daughter this year, just a few days before she was due, everyone not only expressed sympathies, but shared in my loss; to have something like this warms my heart and nearly brings me to tears any time I think about it.
In our work life we have met and overcome challenges as well. When NetOps went down from five members to just two, everyone pulled together to make sure that we could still move forward. This made working 16-hour days for those months far more worth it; it kept it from feel like an act of futility. Though we may all be on different teams, we see that we are the same team pulling for the same cause, for the same mission. Even when a political tsunami hit when we were attacked about Brendan’s views, we all had varying opinions and convictions, but we made peace within and we shared that peace with the world. All of this, and we do great technical stuff on top of that! Through ups and downs, Mozilla has been more than just a place to work to me. When I started here, I became a part of a massive, awesome, loving extended family.
Mozilla has been a wealth of opportunity.
I love to learn, and I love to teach. Here, I had an opportunity to teach in-house and to be a volunteer instructor on Mozilla’s behalf at YearUp for a quarter. That was a dream come true and it was an opportunity to learn as much as it was to teach. I’m proud to say that I made a difference in giving some hard workers a better chance to make it, just like Mozilla did for me. Spreading the love and providing a leg up and a level playing field is what we’re all about, and I got to have a hand in that. What an amazing feeling.
The icing on the cake has been traveling to places around the world to do work or meet with fellow Mozillians; that feels so liberating and exhilarating. I can’t put into words the education that I have received from my experiences here. I’ve had the amazing opportunity to work with all of you and it has been nothing short of a privilege being around such great minds and big hearts.
I love who we are and what we stand for.
I love that what we make and how we do it. I love that our aim is to provide excellence, flexibility, and options to those who may have no option and may have very little money. We see the potential exists in everyone to be great, to achieve, and we strive to give all a way to advance so they can give back to the rest of the world.
I’ve tried in every way to let the Mozilla way seep into my life and color the way that I see the world. I take it as an honor that I have been given the chance to work away some of the great debt I feel to such a beautiful organization. Mozilla not only does great work, in my eyes it does that work for the right reasons. It has been very rewarding to be able to contribute to the cause. On top of that, being adam@mozilla.com has meant so much to me – it is like half of my compensation package! I’ve never been so proud of an email address.
I wish that this never had to end, however an opportunity has presented itself that I am inclined to accept.
My last day will be October 3rd, 2014. I hope with all of my heart that one day our paths will cross again, and I sincerely look forward to that. Though we may be parting ways, please know that you are all my friends and my family. You have stood by me through the best and the worst times of my life – all in such a short time. It is no exaggeration to say that I will miss you every day. I love you all very much, and if you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Wherever I go, I will always be a Mozillian, and I’ll proudly sport my dino-head tattoo to prove it. =)
Keep the faith,
-Adam Newman