Hello, Wipro!

I’m very happy to announce that as of today I’ve joined Wipro as Open Source and Technical Strategist. Rather than taking a job to help a single company start and run an OSPO, I’ve taken a job to help a lot of companies start and run OSPOs…among many other intriguing things.

Why Wipro?

With all of the options available to me, why did I choose to join Wipro? I’m glad you asked! There are three reasons, and they’re three of the best reasons to choose any job…

1. The work. The new gig allows me to do what I love: helping companies be more successful with and through free and open source software. Unlike every other job lead I followed, with Wipro I’ll get to help many different organisations in all sorts of different industries. It’s all of the great parts of freelancing, without the uncertainty that comes with that. It’s a singular opportunity and I’m grateful to have it.
2. The people. Andrew Aitken and the rest of the team have been doing open source strategy longer than just about anyone in the industry. Most of my time working with FOSS/technical strategy has been solo, so I’m very much looking forward to having a team of people as experienced as I off whom I can bounce ideas and from whom I can learn different approaches.
3. The company. I admit, when I started down this path I didn’t know much about Wipro, but the more I learned the more I liked. First of all, yes, it’s a massive corporation and therefore is about as perfect as anything else (read: not at all). Despite that, after all my conversations I’m convinced that the company shares my beliefs in sustainability and diversity (note: our logo is a rainbow all year long 🌈). It’s also a deeply ethical place, which is a requirement for anywhere I work. Finally, it’s not a US-based company; it’s based in India. This new perspective is valuable to me and I’m looking forward to it.

What’s next?

Um…good question. I’m just getting started, so that brings with it all the uncertainty you’d expect with a new job. What little I know so far I can’t share with you…yet. 😘

I can share, however, that the book is on hold until September as I work through this transition. There’s only so much of my brain to go around, and it’s currently full up while I get up to speed.

Aside from that, there aren’t really any changes that anyone outside of my household would notice. I’ll keep writing, keep tweeting, keep speaking at events, keep participating in FOSS communities. My travel will continue to be on hold (thankfully; COVID is no joke).

Basically, you can expect the same but maybe more so. I’m looking forward to it.