Like all good things, my time as Shopzilla’s VP of Engineering has come to an end after 5 years and more than 225,000 miles logged in my daily commute. As I look forward to my next adventure, I’d thought I’d share some of what inspired me to commute more than 200 miles for work each day:
A truly world-class team
I get it… Everyone says it. Some even believe. I know it. In a company full of good people, Shopzilla’s technology teams are truly world-class – sporting some of the best and brightest minds in the industry. After setting the stage for a few years, Tech at Shopzilla evolved into true business partners and thought leaders; A team passionate about the mission and their role in achieving it.
A special shout-out goes to Jody and to my Sr. team – Tara, Juan Paul, Rony, Bernadet, Rod, Tim, Siobhain and Lauren. Thank you for your leadership and for allowing me to lead you. I am proud of what we’ve created. (those without links should take the hint to put your blogs up 
A challenge worthy of the best
Shopzilla has both great people and great opportunities for them to achieve and learn from. From Red October (before my time), to Site 2, Ratings, B2B, Publisher, Nouns, Beso and a thousand other projects big and small, Shopzilla has always risen to the challenge of being and building the best.
When I first arrived at Shopzilla I heard the story of a company that barely survived the dot bomb days. With very little money left and nothing to lose, somebody had the “crazy” idea of turning a merchant ratings company into a comparison shopping marketplace. From that idea to building one of the largest comparison shopping networks on the planet, Shopzilla is full of epic business, product and technology challenges for our people to sink their teeth into.
A little bit of magic
Then, there is the magic. Maybe it’s the special mix of people and opportunity. Maybe it’s the fact that the company is built on relationships and an unusually strong sense of shared mission. Whatever the magic is, Shopzilla is special and people can feel it from the time they come in for an interview.
That magic has helped fuel some of the greatest successes of my career and some of the most impactful relationships and friendships of my life.
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Of course, I’ve had some downs with my ups; Shopzilla is a long way from perfect. Still, Shopzilla was a fantastic journey filled with challenge, growth, great people, achievement, success and a magic that just isn’t found everywhere. Shopzilla is also where I discovered a passion for creating products that marry disruptive technology with a large and demanding consumer audience.
What’s Next?
My next adventure is with Betfair, a London-based peer-to-peer betting exchange. With transaction volumes that rival the mainstream stock markets, Betfair have found their huge, eager and demanding audience.
Why’d I pick this company?
- I’m passionate about our users – so are they.
- I’m passionate about performance at extreme scale – CHECK.
- I’m passionate about creating world-class products based on truly disruptive technology – them too.
- I’m also passionate about building teams that can accomplish anything. Something tells me Betfair will be into that one as well
So far, so good.
I start in May and I literally can’t wait to hit the ground. Betfair, if you are listening, Here I come! With a little hard work, we’ll make some magic of our own.
