I’m late to this, but apparently Rod Humble has left Linden Lab.
It’s a tad peculiar that he announced it on Facebook, and that there has – as yet – been no official announcement from the Lab (but hey, we all know how badly lag affects communication, don’t we?) but, all in all, I’m sad to see him go. You will have your own opinions on what he brought to and did (or did not) for Second Life, but he did usher in a lot of basic improvements that fixed things which have been bugging users for years. How many times have you seen people ranting at the Lab for bring in new shiny stuff while not fixing the long-annoying stuff? Well, Rod did at least start work on that long-annoying stuff. It’s far from done, but he made a much better start than Mark ‘M’ Kingdon ever did.
Sure, he also heralded some stuff that was experimental but didn’t yield the user uptake or enthusiasm that I suspect the Lab had hoped for (pathfinding, anyone?) but overall I always got the same impression from him that I got from Philip Rosedale: he loved Second Life and actively took time to explore and experience it. He’s noted on several occasions that he sometimes takes an alt out and about to meet people and look around, and to experience what those of us who live in and love SL also experience. This Drax Files episode is a good example of that:
I sincerely hope the board of directors at Linden Research pick another CEO with that enthusiasm for virtual worlds, rather than another ‘M’. And I promise, I had nothing to do with this! Blame Berry; she made me do it! :p
Sources
Jo Yardley: Rod Humble Leaves Linden Lab
Nalates: Rod Humble Leaves Second Life
Inara Pey: Three in ten – a look back at Rod Humble’s tenure at LL
I always get blamed for everything! :P
But honestly, I was kind of shocked and sad to hear the news myself.
I would never have virtually stabbed him if you’d not put the idea in my head! :p
And yeah, I only learned of it because I happened to check Nalates’ Twitter feed and saw it there. Let’s just hope we get another good driver who understands his passengers, instead of a remote chauffeur like ‘M’ was.