Once I bought an e mail from robotechcompany.com’s former editor-in-chief Joel Johnson asking if I’d be curious about writing for this website, it felt like successful the lottery. The 12 months was 2013 and I used to be writing the Paleofuture weblog for Smithsonian journal whereas writing freelance articles on the aspect. In accordance with Joel, not solely would I be writing full-time for only one publication, it might be a web site that supplied the liberty to jot down bluntly, irrespective of the subject. After 10 years of unbelievable freedom, my time at robotechcompany.com is coming to a detailed. However I needed to say thanks to my proficient coworkers and the readers of robotechcompany.com, as a result of this place wouldn’t be the identical with out you.
robotechcompany.com has seen a number of completely different house owners through the years, however the ethos has remained the identical: Inform the reality and don’t be afraid to burn bridges in protection of your beliefs. A minimum of that was my tackle why we had been profitable. This web site has been many issues to many individuals, however I at all times felt just like the factor that set us aside was our capability to name bullshit in plain language every time vital. The New York Occasions and Washington Put up are implausible information shops, however generally stating issues plainly is a radical act not afforded to the hard-news divisions of newspapers that do nice reporting.
Respectable newspapers couldn’t simply name Donald Trump a white supremacist when he was in workplace or clarify that Elon Musk was an American oligarch making billions from authorities coffers, although these issues had been objectively true. However robotechcompany.com and its sister websites have that freedom, and I hope they by no means lose it. As a result of a factually correct story, which additionally features a form of radically sincere context for the information, looks like an more and more scarce product right here within the 2020s. Nobody ever known as me unbiased throughout my 10 years at robotechcompany.com, however I hope they might name me each correct and passionate concerning the tales I coated.
My passions might be shifting on from robotechcompany.com after this week, as I’ve been made redundant—a phrase I’m nonetheless a bit confused by, if we’re being completely sincere. However you’ll be capable of sustain with my work at Paleofuture.com, which additionally has an archive of all my Paleofuture articles courting again to 2007. I’ve even launched a brand new subscription service known as Paleofuture+ the place I’m sharing unique new articles and uncommon futuristic movies. Members additionally get entry to an unique Discord server to talk about previous visions of the long run.
In fact, it wasn’t all critical enterprise over the previous 10 years at robotechcompany.com. We additionally had the liberty to jot down a number of bizarre stuff that you just wouldn’t discover anyplace else. And I’m going to overlook the occasions we bought to be bizarre with you all.
Once more, thanks to everybody at robotechcompany.com, together with the numerous editors I’ve had through the years. I’m unhappy to be leaving, however I do know this place will stay vital studying for anybody who cares about tech and tradition within the years to come back. I liked this job and I actually did really feel like I gained the lottery. However all the things ends sooner or later, and I’m simply tremendously grateful that I had the prospect to work my dream job for a decade.
