Fluff Overflow

Tumblr engineer #4

[evan]

Warning

A scammer is impersonating me on Discord and messaging people about Tumblr account takedowns. I've never used Discord at all, haven't worked for Tumblr in over 8 years, and was never involved in account takedowns anyway.

If you receive messages about Tumblr on another platform from someone claiming to be me (or any other early Tumblr staffer), it is 100% definitely a scam, and you should report/flag it.

[evan]

RIP Tumblr HQ, Nov 10 2010 - Mar 29 2018

Tumblr moved to its home on 35 East 21st Street on my third day with the company. Initially just occupying half a floor of the building that once housed Swatch’s US HQ, the office seemed extravagantly vast for our then-twelve-person crew. We soon filled the space with beautiful wide desks (one of which survives as the table at Rhong Tiam Express next door) and a “spice-colored” couch. We hired rapidly, and before long we were overflowing our only conference room.

I met many good people and have many good memories inside this office (and out!)... Across three separate stints at the company, I spent most of my weekdays here for four years in total. And despite Tumblr eventually occupying nearly half the building, somehow my desk was always located in the northwestern side of the 9th floor, within a few yards of my original spot.

I wasn’t able to give the office a proper farewell, so I guess the above pic that I took a few weeks ago, on my last day after leaving my role as platform eng director, will have to do. I’m heartbroken and deeply hurt that I wasn’t invited to the office closing party that apparently happened last night (as I learned after the fact via social media), but at this point a final, permanent, clean separation from all things Tumblr is undoubtedly the best direction for me anyway. I started this blog in 2010 as my previous employer (a different blogging software company only a few blocks down 21st street) was shuttering their NYC office after being acquired. It somehow feels appropriate to end the blog under the same circumstances.

And to the rando users who keep messaging me: no, you can’t have my Tumblr URL, sorry! It was a gift from David Karp. I returned the favor by spending many nights, weekends, and holidays ensuring that Tumblr could continue to host all of your content, and mine too, hopefully in perpetuity.

[evan]

Second place!

[zoya]

[evan]

“Look at the face of this taco, and tell me it’s not Peter Quinn from Homeland!!!” was how Zoya explained this in person.

[evan]

I may have gone a bit overboard today at Big Apple Comic Con!

[evan]

Sterling is so excited about having his own office on weekdays now! He’s already started celebrating by taking up as much space as possible.

[evan]

The illusion of choice.

[evan]

ok Feline Greenies Pet Treat Co, so you want me to give my cat 35 treats per day? I mean I know you’re the experts and I’m just a lowly consumer trying to appease my carnivorous furry companion, but like I gotta ask... are you 100% totally sure your company’s CEO isn’t secretly a giant hungry cat wearing a people-disguise?

[evan]

Too bad I never got around to doing something clever with my best secondary blog URL, RichKidsOfInstapaper.tumblr.com!

[evan]

Whoever built this has some fundamental misunderstanding around the purpose of subject lines...

[evan]

We are the watchers of the wall, the paw in the darkness, the meow that wakes the sleepers.

[evan]

RIP, spice-colored Tumblr couch. You had a good 5 year run.

[evan]

Try the jellied chicken, they said. We promise it’s not actually cat food disguised by a side of lettuce, they said.

[evan]

Perhaps this is a sign that I should change credit card providers?

[evan]

If this turns out to mostly be wood pulp, at least it’s not a surprise.

[evan]

Well, I suppose an empty gradient is indeed more enjoyable than Adobe Flash Player

[evan]

It’s ok, I don’t plan on doing anything productive soon anyway.