When I spoke to each of you about Tapulous, whether I recruited you, or inherited you from GoGoApps, I spoke of an engineering paradise where smart people would come together to ship beautiful applications, to lead a computing revolution, and to become a real force for world change. I also made you a promise to deal with anything that prevented us, as a team, from building the kind of company we wanted to work for.
We built an amazing team, an amazing headquarters, and an amazing set of products. You all lived up to my expectations, even through the hard times. I know that you did this for me, and in exchange I told you I would fix the kinks we’d run into, even if it cost me money, my job, or even my career.
An engineer is nothing without a good reputation. Your reputation determines who you get to talk to, which projects you get to work on, and how much you get paid. In short, your reputation is everything. I have always relied on the simple idea that if I conducted myself with honor, things would work out in the end.
So it came to pass that when my Engineering and Design team had irreconcilable differences with where the company seemed to be headed, I was asked to make good on those promises. Serving as the team’s reluctant spokesman was not in my best interests, but honor dictated my actions. I delivered the team’s message, and was invited to resign.
There things stand. I wish Tapulous the very best. They have a large set of shoes to fill, and I hope they fill them, and then some. I’m leaving them as the leader of the most important new computing platform since 1984. That will have to join Delicious Library 2 as my legacy to you all. I’ve hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have.
So what now? I’m going to work on my autobiography and come to terms with being ejected from the company I helped build. I’m going to spend time with my wife, and continue to fret over Madagascar. Then, when the next interesting project comes along, you’ll hear about it here.
So in closing, my team, my friends, I must leave you to the fight. Whether you stay with Tapulous (as I hope you all will) or move on to your next adventure, you all have my highest recommendation. My only regret is that I couldn’t give you the company I promised you. To the extent this was my personal failing, I am truly sorry.
Addenda 
A lot of great comments from many awesome people. Thanks so much for your support and interest.
Jonathan Wight
Eep!
Good luck with whatever comes up next. I know it’ll be interesting.
Eep!
Good luck with whatever comes up next. I know it’ll be interesting.
Random Lemur
Mike,
When much of the world thinks of Tapulous they think of the products it’s produced. When those of us who live, breathe, and eat Cocoa think of Tapulous, we think of you. Strive for greatness, settle for nothing less and in the end, great things will come. Tapulous doesn’t know yet what it’s lost.
-rob.
Mike,
When much of the world thinks of Tapulous they think of the products it’s produced. When those of us who live, breathe, and eat Cocoa think of Tapulous, we think of you. Strive for greatness, settle for nothing less and in the end, great things will come. Tapulous doesn’t know yet what it’s lost.
-rob.
Sebastiaan de With
I’m sorry to hear that. I wish you the best of luck on your future ventures.
I’m sorry to hear that. I wish you the best of luck on your future ventures.
Jack Holt
Good luck. You’re an inspiration! Keep fighting the good fight.
Good luck. You’re an inspiration! Keep fighting the good fight.
Ben Reubenstein
“In short, your reputation is everything. I have always relied on the simple idea that if I conducted myself with honor, things would work out in the end.”
I could not agree more. Had this very adage put to the test tonight with a “partner” and they failed. Feel proud that you stuck to your guns and kept yours.
“In short, your reputation is everything. I have always relied on the simple idea that if I conducted myself with honor, things would work out in the end.”
I could not agree more. Had this very adage put to the test tonight with a “partner” and they failed. Feel proud that you stuck to your guns and kept yours.
mikeash
Surprised and saddened to hear about this. Hope you figure out the next step in good time and that it turns out to be a good one.
Surprised and saddened to hear about this. Hope you figure out the next step in good time and that it turns out to be a good one.
Nate True
Shows how much of a Tapulous employee I am when I had to find this out by happening to glance at Twitterific and seeing your blog post. I’m sad that things had to turn out like this, man.
I wish you the best of success in your future endeavors!
Shows how much of a Tapulous employee I am when I had to find this out by happening to glance at Twitterific and seeing your blog post. I’m sad that things had to turn out like this, man.
I wish you the best of success in your future endeavors!
Victoria Wang
Wow, what a loss for Tapulous. Good luck on your next steps! I can’t wait to hear about the next interesting thing. I know it’s going to be awesome.
Wow, what a loss for Tapulous. Good luck on your next steps! I can’t wait to hear about the next interesting thing. I know it’s going to be awesome.
Dom Sagolla
And now we all know what you mean by “World’s Toughest Programmer”.
Congrats on your work launching Tapulous!
Also, what Jonathan said.
And now we all know what you mean by “World’s Toughest Programmer”.
Congrats on your work launching Tapulous!
Also, what Jonathan said.
Brent S
Uggh...really sucks to see after watching you uproot everything to get this thing going. Of course we’ll all be watching for the next big thing you involve yourself in. You sure as hell didn’t disappoint with Tapulous.
Uggh...really sucks to see after watching you uproot everything to get this thing going. Of course we’ll all be watching for the next big thing you involve yourself in. You sure as hell didn’t disappoint with Tapulous.
Random Lemur
Honour (i’m from somewhere else so please forgive the corrected spelling) is everything.
Glad that you are among the very small group of people willing to make sacrifices in the name of honesty, honour and propriety.
You rock!
Honour (i’m from somewhere else so please forgive the corrected spelling) is everything.
Glad that you are among the very small group of people willing to make sacrifices in the name of honesty, honour and propriety.
You rock!
Random Lemur
Balls!
That really sucks. Good luck on your next awesome project.
Balls!
That really sucks. Good luck on your next awesome project.
Manton Reece
Sorry to hear it ended that way, but it probably would have been even more frustrating to drag on for another 6 months with such significant disagreements.
Good luck with whatever you go for next.
Sorry to hear it ended that way, but it probably would have been even more frustrating to drag on for another 6 months with such significant disagreements.
Good luck with whatever you go for next.
Layton Duncan
Wow, sad to hear Mike. Wish you well with whatever you go on to.
Wow, sad to hear Mike. Wish you well with whatever you go on to.
Daniel Pasco
Mike,
I think that your time at Tapulous was well spent, but I have also been certain for a long time that you would quickly outgrow them. Tapulous needs you far more than you need them. You will far surpass them, most likely soon.
-Daniel
Mike,
I think that your time at Tapulous was well spent, but I have also been certain for a long time that you would quickly outgrow them. Tapulous needs you far more than you need them. You will far surpass them, most likely soon.
-Daniel
Colin Barrett
When you began your journey at Tapulous, I was a little skeptical -- not of Tapulous, but of you. In my short time in Silicon Valley I’d seen how vicious this place can be and I was worried that you would be changed by this place, like so many before you.
I realize now that I was 100% wrong. I should have known, but you’re made of much tougher stuff than that. I’m impressed to the point of feeling emasculated that you went up to the plate for your engineers and put it all on the line and even though it ended up not working out, you know you did the right thing.
Anyone who can’t take a lesson from what you did is a fool. Gambarimasu.
When you began your journey at Tapulous, I was a little skeptical -- not of Tapulous, but of you. In my short time in Silicon Valley I’d seen how vicious this place can be and I was worried that you would be changed by this place, like so many before you.
I realize now that I was 100% wrong. I should have known, but you’re made of much tougher stuff than that. I’m impressed to the point of feeling emasculated that you went up to the plate for your engineers and put it all on the line and even though it ended up not working out, you know you did the right thing.
Anyone who can’t take a lesson from what you did is a fool. Gambarimasu.
Adam Betts
Damn, this was unexpected. Wherever you will be, you’ll continue to kick ass.
Damn, this was unexpected. Wherever you will be, you’ll continue to kick ass.
Lukas Mathis
All the best to you. I know you won’t be gone for long - I’m looking forward to your next project :-)
All the best to you. I know you won’t be gone for long - I’m looking forward to your next project :-)
Arjan Bos
Mike,
Thanks for sharing all the bits about your work, both the good and the bad. It’s thanks to people like you that the indie dev Mac and iPhone community is what it is: A thriving source of delight for people like me, your customers.
Thanks for all your effort sofar and hopefully you’ll surprise us once more in the future.
A.J.
Mike,
Thanks for sharing all the bits about your work, both the good and the bad. It’s thanks to people like you that the indie dev Mac and iPhone community is what it is: A thriving source of delight for people like me, your customers.
Thanks for all your effort sofar and hopefully you’ll surprise us once more in the future.
A.J.
Buzz Andersen
My personal take on you and Tapulous was always kind of the inverse of Colin’s: you’ve always seemed like an earnest sort to me, but I’ve spent enough time myself embedded in Silicon Valley la-la-land to be rather jaded with the hucksterism that’s come to define “Web 2.0” (this is part of the reason I decided to get out for awhile and spend some time in New York). My first thought upon researching Tapulous was that your values as an altruistic, quality-minded, independent Mac developer intent on delighting your users were probably going to be very much at odds with the eyeball-hungry, gold rush priorities of a venture-backed Silicon Valley startup.
I for one am glad to have you back amongst the non-funded, and I applaud you for being true to your convictions.
My personal take on you and Tapulous was always kind of the inverse of Colin’s: you’ve always seemed like an earnest sort to me, but I’ve spent enough time myself embedded in Silicon Valley la-la-land to be rather jaded with the hucksterism that’s come to define “Web 2.0” (this is part of the reason I decided to get out for awhile and spend some time in New York). My first thought upon researching Tapulous was that your values as an altruistic, quality-minded, independent Mac developer intent on delighting your users were probably going to be very much at odds with the eyeball-hungry, gold rush priorities of a venture-backed Silicon Valley startup.
I for one am glad to have you back amongst the non-funded, and I applaud you for being true to your convictions.
Michael Fey
Mike,
So sorry to hear that things didn’t work out for you and Tapulous. Good luck to you in you future adventures, I’m really looking forward to seeing what you come up with in the future.
All the best,
Michael
Mike,
So sorry to hear that things didn’t work out for you and Tapulous. Good luck to you in you future adventures, I’m really looking forward to seeing what you come up with in the future.
All the best,
Michael
Diederik Hoogenboom
Sorry to hear you and Tapulous part ways.
May sunshine meet you on the roads to come.
Sorry to hear you and Tapulous part ways.
May sunshine meet you on the roads to come.
Random Lemur
This sounds like the World’s Most Pompous Programmer.
It’s easy to “lead” when times are easy.
Fix the problem.
This sounds like the World’s Most Pompous Programmer.
It’s easy to “lead” when times are easy.
Fix the problem.
Eric A
As the saying goes “This too shall pass” and so it is with Tapulous. As a developer I can tell you that what you did is worthy of respect, it takes a big person to own up to mistakes and step aside without resentment. Good luck on your autobiography.
As the saying goes “This too shall pass” and so it is with Tapulous. As a developer I can tell you that what you did is worthy of respect, it takes a big person to own up to mistakes and step aside without resentment. Good luck on your autobiography.
Brian L
I’m looking forward to your next project and am reminded of a fitting quote from one of my favorite films, Secondhand Lions.
“Honor, virtue, and courage mean everything; that money and power mean nothing. That good always triumphs over evil. That true love never dies. Doesn’t matter if they’re true or not. A man should believe in those things anyway. Because they are the things worth believing in.”
I’m looking forward to your next project and am reminded of a fitting quote from one of my favorite films, Secondhand Lions.
“Honor, virtue, and courage mean everything; that money and power mean nothing. That good always triumphs over evil. That true love never dies. Doesn’t matter if they’re true or not. A man should believe in those things anyway. Because they are the things worth believing in.”
cesar
man, I’m sure you’ll get a ton of job offers including apple... but I think you should have a small chat with shipley and continue creating the best software for DM.
man, I’m sure you’ll get a ton of job offers including apple... but I think you should have a small chat with shipley and continue creating the best software for DM.
Guillermo X
super lame. at least you do have Lemurs to care for and lemurs to save.
super lame. at least you do have Lemurs to care for and lemurs to save.
Tristan O’Tierney
You stood up for what you thought was right, and you had good intentions. Continue to do that and all will work out.
You stood up for what you thought was right, and you had good intentions. Continue to do that and all will work out.
jemmons
You are, at least, in the good company of past visionaries ejected from the companies they helped build. On to the next challenge!
You are, at least, in the good company of past visionaries ejected from the companies they helped build. On to the next challenge!
Levi Figueira
Wow... That was such a sentimental post! I can’t really begin to imagine what’s going on in your head, and I just hope you keep frustration out of your mind.
You did a great thing with Tapulous and leaving only proves your character. The one sentence that keeps me wondering what all happened is when you say “(...) and come to terms with being ejected from a the company I helped build.”... I just hope everything is alright with both you and Tapulous! Great individual and a good company!
Wish you all the best!
Wow... That was such a sentimental post! I can’t really begin to imagine what’s going on in your head, and I just hope you keep frustration out of your mind.
You did a great thing with Tapulous and leaving only proves your character. The one sentence that keeps me wondering what all happened is when you say “(...) and come to terms with being ejected from a the company I helped build.”... I just hope everything is alright with both you and Tapulous! Great individual and a good company!
Wish you all the best!
foresmac
I fear not for the “world’s toughest programmer.” Always lands on his feet, he does.
I fear not for the “world’s toughest programmer.” Always lands on his feet, he does.
Brent Simmons (the real one, not “Brent S”)
Good luck with what comes next -- I’d love to see you go indie, one-man-shop style, but that’s just the romantic in me. ;) There are tons of opportunities out there for such a gifted developer.
And, of course, if there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know.
Good luck with what comes next -- I’d love to see you go indie, one-man-shop style, but that’s just the romantic in me. ;) There are tons of opportunities out there for such a gifted developer.
And, of course, if there’s anything I can do to help, just let me know.
Vinay Venkatesh
I am sorry for Tapulous because they have lost a talented developer and a valuable resource in you. Whatever you do, it will be a success, and like many others, am looking forward to seeing what your next project is. Going to bat for the team in the way you did was commendable and I can’t be prouder to call you a friend.
I am sorry for Tapulous because they have lost a talented developer and a valuable resource in you. Whatever you do, it will be a success, and like many others, am looking forward to seeing what your next project is. Going to bat for the team in the way you did was commendable and I can’t be prouder to call you a friend.
Joel Norvell
Mike,
I feel that I keep learning from you even though we’ve never met.
My suggestion to you is to go out into Nature today; whether it be Big Basin, the beach or Mt. Tam.
“There is no end in nature, but every ending is a beginning; that there is always another dawn risen on mid-noon, and under every deep a lower deep opens. This fact, as far as it symbolizes the moral fact of the Unattainable, the flying Perfect, around which the hands of man can never meet...” – Emerson in “Circles”
Namaste,
Joel
frameworker at yahoo dot com
Mike,
I feel that I keep learning from you even though we’ve never met.
My suggestion to you is to go out into Nature today; whether it be Big Basin, the beach or Mt. Tam.
“There is no end in nature, but every ending is a beginning; that there is always another dawn risen on mid-noon, and under every deep a lower deep opens. This fact, as far as it symbolizes the moral fact of the Unattainable, the flying Perfect, around which the hands of man can never meet...” – Emerson in “Circles”
Namaste,
Joel
frameworker at yahoo dot com
Christina Warren
Mike,
You are not only an exceptional programmer, but an exceptional writer. I’m sorry that this situation turned out the way it turned out and I wish you the very best.
I have no doubt that there are only bigger, brighter and more fulfilling things in your future.
Take care.
Mike,
You are not only an exceptional programmer, but an exceptional writer. I’m sorry that this situation turned out the way it turned out and I wish you the very best.
I have no doubt that there are only bigger, brighter and more fulfilling things in your future.
Take care.
Andrés Segovia
Eep!
Wish you & your wife and Dear Your Team the very best.
I enjoy your heartful writing.
Eep!
Wish you & your wife and Dear Your Team the very best.
I enjoy your heartful writing.
Luis de la Rosa
Tap Tap Revenge is still my favorite game on the iPhone, so thank you for that. That’s great that you got to build an amazing team too - there’s nothing like that. I’m sure they appreciate you standing up for them, with honor. But welcome back to the World of Mac Indies.
Tap Tap Revenge is still my favorite game on the iPhone, so thank you for that. That’s great that you got to build an amazing team too - there’s nothing like that. I’m sure they appreciate you standing up for them, with honor. But welcome back to the World of Mac Indies.
I’m going to work on my autobiography and come to terms with being ejected from a the company I helped build. Image credit: Van Gogh’s “Skeleton Smoking Cigarette”
Monday, August 25, 2008
Dear My Team
