It’s a new year, and I’ve decided it’s a good time to replace myself as the CEO of Signal.
I have now been working on Signal for almost a decade. It has always been my goal for Signal to grow and sustain beyond my involvement, but four years ago that would still not have been possible. I was writing all the Android code, was writing all of the server code, was the only person on call for the service, was facilitating all product development, and was managing everyone. I couldn’t ever leave cell service, had to take my laptop with me everywhere in case of emergencies, and occasionally found myself sitting alone on the sidewalk in the rain late at night trying to diagnose a service degradation.
I’ve spent the past four years endeavouring to change that, and today the picture is radically different. Signal is now an amazing group of 30 people: a mix of wonderful engineers, super talented designers, gifted and unflappable support staff, and a very accomplished and committed leadership team. I rarely write code anymore, and if I do it’s in a minor role. I am not tempting fate by leaving cell service, no single person is ever perpetually on call, and hopefully nobody at Signal will ever find themselves sitting on the sidewalk with their laptop in the rain again (unless that happens to be your preferred remote work setup). We have a great leadership team that is facilitating product development, managing the organization, and pushing the technology forward. Most importantly, the values and the mission that Signal was built on are embedded in the whole of the organization, and everyone involved is here to honor them and see them through.