Former Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson has launched a monthly newsletter called “Chad Dickerson’s Fieldnotes.” He said he plans to cover a wide range of issues – and his time at Etsy will be on the list, apparently no holds barred:
“Topics will include business, music, books, culture, what I’m up to, and what I learned as a CEO and CTO. I have a lot to say and I’m excited to be able to say it as a free agent with a high degree of editorial independence.”
Dickerson joined Etsy as Chief Technology Officer in 2008 and became Chief Executive Officer in 2011. In May of 2017, the board replaced him and announced layoffs after an activist investor began pressuring the company to make big changes.
In his blog post announcing the new newsletter, Dickerson wrote:
“My time at Etsy was also very profound and there are lots of insights from that experience that I haven’t had a chance to lay out yet. Writing is a great way to process and refine one’s thinking. Very few people have the chance to take on two major executive roles (CTO and CEO) in a company like Etsy from building a team and rebuilding a platform as a startup CTO (the proverbial changing of the jet engine while in flight) to leading a high-profile public company as CEO and Chair of the board. I did that and I’m confident that I took that path in a way that was true to my self and to a set of larger principles. I know other people are trying to do the same thing and I hope some of my writing will give them insight and strength.”
Technology wasn’t his first calling – Dickerson graduated with a degree in English from Duke University and initially worked in media.
You can read the full post and find a link to sign up to the email newsletter on this page on ChadDickerson.com.
He helped changed a community of independent artists and dealers into yet another greedy corporate monster. What an achievement.