Today is my 2371st day as a Facebook/Meta employee, and also my last.
Here’s the thing. I have a lot of critiques of how we work here. And if you’ve worked with me, you’ve heard them. In many ways I’ve built my career here around trying to make us all better. Sometimes through “boring” things like planning, sometimes through funny things like photoshopping my boss’s face on to stuff.
But here’s the other thing. This place changed my life.
It allowed me to do tough things.
It taught me to open up and forced me to learn how to protect my energy.
It brought me to a city my wife Jill & I love.
It sent me to many other cities I love — in new countries I now love.
It gave me financial resources & incredible benefits no one could imagine having grown up when & where I did.
It granted me thousands of dollars of ad credits to support dozens of small businesses.
It’s supported me as I’ve faced serious physical and mental health issues.
It’s embraced my shenanigans. Well, most of them.
More than anything it’s introduced me to incredible people to whom I have formed close bonds.
But more than even that, it’s given me the opportunity to hang out all the time with Zuck…
I mean, our lives have been a wild ride these past few years, but boy did we have fun.
I’ll always remember that time we surprised that guy from that movie on SNL.
And there was that time we all dressed up as mimes for Halloween.
We enjoyed many summer afternoons getting really into smoking meats.
I mean, testifying in front of Congress was pretty rough, but I’m so proud of how we made it through.
We met some pretty cool people over the years.
And did some pretty fun stuff too — like hydrofoil with flags.
I may be ending my tenure this week, but Zuck and I will be sure to hang in the metaverse. (Mark — you have an open invitation at the digital dive bar I’ll be building).
In all seriousness, thank you to those who have supported me over my time at Facebook/Meta and to those who have commented on the other channels I’ve posted this update this week. Thank you so much for the outpouring of love, gratitude, and jokes. Your messages have overwhelmed, and focused me — in a good way and a necessary way.
If I leave anything behind at Meta, I hope it’s a group of people that I pushed to be better than they thought they could be, and told them to calm the f*ck down when they stressed about it too much. This has always been my North Star more than any project I ever worked on or goal set.
I’ve been fortunate to be surrounded by so much talent in my life and I want people to be the best versions of themselves. So I’ve tried to help people get out of their own way. Sometimes that’s even meant clearing obstacles on their behalf, or sending their entire team secret GIFs of their face on stuff (you’re welcome in advance managers who will figure out I’m talking about you a week from now).
Reading all the comments this week — it seems like I did okay at all that.
Not alone. Better together.
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I’ll share an update about what’s next in a few weeks. For now I’m going to unplug and hide away in the mountains with my dog, my notebook, some books, some whiskey. Probably ski some, grow a bad beard, yell at birds. I dunno. We’ll see how it goes.
- Coate
