It's been a busy week at Technorati - new widgets, a report on the state of our company and, of course our all new State of the Live Web, which incorporates our original State of the Blogosphere. Even after all that, there's still one more piece of news I'd like to share with you this week.
I believe in building great companies. And the only way to build a great company is to bring on board the very best and brightest people. In the end, it is the team of people that make a company great, no matter who started it, or however remarkable the original technology innovation. Having the right people in the right job at the right time has been absolutely critical to the success we've enjoyed so far. I've always believed that if there is a better person for any job here at Technorati, we should do everything in our power to get that person in the door.
As I said earlier this week, we will soon celebrate the 4th anniversary of our incorporation - which seems so amazing to me, especially when I think of just how many "Web 2.0" companies have either disappeared or been swallowed whole. Here we are, four years later, still standing, still thriving. We're growing, changing and facing an abundance of new opportunities.
I also shared with you earlier this week about how Technorati has evolved from my original vision of building and providing the world's best blog search service to one that constitutes a new kind of media company - one that aggregates social media in real time from across the entirety of the Live Web based on the immediate interests and needs of our users. This evolution has been central to the amazing growth we're experiencing.
So it was at this time of great growth that I approached our Board of Directors about re-examining roles and to talk about ensuring the right people are in the right place in the company, and especially if there was someone out there who could perform the role of CEO better than I could. I'm really proud to have brought us to where we are - with nearly 10 million unique visitors per month, clearly we're doing something right. But I put forward the question: How are we going to drive that to 100 million visitors per month and beyond? What do we need to really take us up another level? And so we've decided to cast our net to see if we can find an incredible, talented woman or man - someone who shares our values and our vision - who is that perfect person to take this company to that level.
I want to be clear: I don't come to this decision lightly. I've thought long and hard about this and believe bringing in new blood may be the best way for us to continue to grow Technorati and to ensure the company soars to ever greater accomplishment. One more thing I want to be clear about: I adore the company I created - after my family, it's my proudest achievement, and I have no intention of leaving. Like other founders of some of our best-known and legendary technology companies, I intend to play a vital, ongoing role here at Technorati. If anything, I expect to resume a more active role in product development, driving innovation, and listening hard to our users while giving them the best service in the business. Maybe even get in a bit of coding every now and then.
So, now I have an unusual request: We're looking for world-class candidates. if you know or consider yourself a person who can lead this ground-breaking company to that next great level, I want to hear about it. We're looking for someone with proven operational experience, ideally in an end-user-facing internet company, who has presided over significant revenue growth and helped to scale the organization, and has had hands-on experience at an executive level leading an IPO. Send an email to jobs@technorati.com with any details you have and a resume or CV. I'll make sure our professional executive recruiters immediately get the information you share with us together with my thoughts on the recommendation, and all submissions will be held strictly confidential.
My expectation is that this search could take a while - we're absolutely committed to getting the right person, and not making compromises on that. The board and I agree totally on this, and it is very gratifying to have their unqualified support for me to continue in the CEO job until we find that absolute right person. Throughout the process, I will continue to lead the explosive growth we're experiencing and demanding only the most amazing results from our equally amazing team here at Technorati. I know all of us here can continue to rely on the good will and best wishes of you, our friends and users, and for all the support I have received these last four years from more people than I can count, I want to say, simply, thank you.
Stay tuned for more great things from Technorati.
Throughout all of this, I am constantly reminded about how lucky I am. There aren't that many people in the world who get the chance to work with such a wonderful, smart, energetic, and results-driven team like the one we have here at Technorati. I'm constantly humbled by the wealth of experience, energy, and smarts that surrounds me every day. This all flows from our credo, which is to Be of Service, something which, no matter who sits in the CEO chair in the future, will never change.
UPDATE: Techcrunch picked up on this, you can have a read over there.
UPDATE 2: People have been reacting to this post, and have some great stuff out there: Doc Searls, Dorion Caroll, Ian Kallen. Dorion and Ian are employees here at Technorati, BTW. Thanks, guys, your support means a lot.
Technorati Tags: ceo, gratitude, search, technorati